Right, first thing’s first, let’s get the inevitable space-based puns out of the way: “Gravity,” a new thriller about a pair of astronauts trapped in space after a routine shuttle mission goes disastrously awry, is out of this world. A stellar expedition, it will pull you in, it will take your breath away, it will have you moonwalking out of the auditorium with astronomical glee and yes, it will send you hurtling, starry-eyed, over the moon.
Phew. Now that I’ve got that out of my system, let me tell you, dear reader, about this extraordinary new movie from “Children of Men” and “Prisoner of Azkaban” director Alfonso Cuarón. “Gravity” is, in a word, amazing: truly and utterly amazing in its ability to wow an audience, to grip them with a simple but uniquely terrifying story and to stun them into complete silence. Set in outer space for almost the entirety of its runtime and utterly convincing in its zero-gravity physics, it’s a staggering feat not just in visual effects but also in blockbuster movie-making. I spent much of it with my jaw at my ankles and the rest with my brain exploding out of my ears. Those puns weren’t lying: “Gravity” is a blast and a half — and then some.
The viscerality of this thing is incredible: here we are, stranded in the black, unending vastness of space with Sandra Bullock’s inexperienced mission specialist Dr. Ryan Stone and George Clooney’s long-serving astronaut Matt Kowalski. With crystal clarity, we can hear every word they speak and every gasp for breath they take inside the helmets of their NASA space suits, heightened by the eerie absence of external noise: scientifically accurate, “Gravity” stays true to the reality that in space, there is no sound (and where, as the poster for “Alien” famously remarked, no one can hear you scream). Doing most of the gasping is Bullock, a rookie on her first outer space mission who is guided along by Clooney’s calm and collected veteran when things take a terrifying turn for the worst: debris strikes and destroys their shuttle, leaving them adrift over 370 miles above the Earth’s surface.
Tethered together by a cord which, in one bravura sequence of many, ends up snapping in two, and communicating through their in-helmet headsets, Bullock and Clooney must fight for survival in this boundless, zero-gravity environment if they are to ever get back down to Earth. Both share a warm dynamic — officially the coolest man in space, Clooney calms Bullock's panicking Dr. Stone with humour and casual conversation, keeping her mind distracted and at ease — but really, this is Bullock’s story: we are by her side for damn near the film’s whole length, her increasing confidence gives the film its heart and the inspired rebirth parables (as sparked by the beautiful, striking sight of a floating Bullock curling up into the foetal position) revolve around her. It is to Bullock’s credit that even with little character information we are absolutely with her every step of the way — she’s an endearing screen presence and her frightened, heartfelt performance is one of the best of the year.
However, quite frankly, “Gravity” absolutely belongs to Cuarón. Known for his love of ambitious single shots — the unblinking 7-minute battlefield set-piece in his dystopian masterpiece “Children of Men” still wows seven years later — the visionary Mexican filmmaker takes himself to the limit here, and pushes himself beyond. With sublime elegance, his camera hurtles between debris, whirls around the floating destruction and seamlessly moves in and out of Bullock’s helmet with not one visible cut in sequences that must last, ooh, I actually lost track. To say that the film is a technical marvel would be putting it lightly — over 48 hours since it ended, I’m still doing this:
Other technical triumphs come from Steven Price’s unnerving score, the astonishing visual effects and Emmanuel Lubezki’s luscious, spellbinding cinematography — as Clooney’s character remarks, you can’t beat that view. The film is presented in 3D, which is perhaps unnecessary, but like in “Avatar” and “Life of Pi,” it does add an extra oomph of immersion — I’ll admit that, like a child, I flinched when debris was flung towards the camera lens. Regardless of the format, “Gravity" is an incredible, unmissable experience which may single-handedly rejuvenate your faith in the power of cinema: its power to amaze, to dazzle and to conjure an overwhelming sense of pure, childlike wonder. Go see “Gravity:” see it on the big screen, see it in IMAX, see it in 3D or see it in 2D — just go see it and bask in its breathtaking, eye-popping awesomeness. Trust me on this: you won’t regret the trip.
Rating: 10/10
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