Gravity By Brenton Thom GRAVITY is a “science fiction” (using the genre loosely) thriller that stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The movie takes place in near future or present time, where Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) is conducting repairs on the Hubble telescope, while in space for the first time. She is working with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney) who assists her in the repairs. They have to cut their repairs short when they get warning from mission control (voiced by Ed Harris) that a defunct Russian satellite has been shot out of the sky. The orbiting debris is circling around the planet and on its way toward the shuttle and its crew. It’s safe to say they don’t get away in time, and the crew gets pummeled by the debris moving at over 10,000 miles per hour. I don’t want to give any spoilers away, but this is a disaster/survival story. Stone and Kowalski have to find a way to get themselves to safety and back on Earth. They also have to race against the clock because every 90 minutes the debris completes its revolution around the planet and strikes again. The film also deals with isolation, for the two are the only ones in an empty, silent void. I personally found this to be an exciting movie. Everything about it was engaging and fantastic. From writing, story, pace, characters, visuals, sound design, and music. Starting with the actors, Bullock and Clooney do a fantastic job in the movie. You care for them and are invested in their survival in this hostile environment. One of the things that ties into that is the visual look. Granted I saw this movie in 3D, and I think that helped immensely with the atmosphere. It feels like we are there in space with the characters. Most of the takes are incredibly long with no cuts. There had to be maybe only 6 cutaways in the film! Okay, maybe not that few, but most of the film was seamless and the camera would float around the characters instead of cutting to a new angle. What also helped set the atmosphere and environment was the sound design. As minimal as it was, it felt real! In space there is no atmosphere, so sound cannot carry and you don’t hear anything unless it’s in your helmet and bounces along your suit. So with all the destruction that happens in the movie (which is a lot), you didn’t hear any of it. To counter the soundless action, we have a fantastic score by Steven Price. The music has a feel of other scores like CONTAGION and PROMETHEUS. It sets a perfect creepy and intense mood without being over the top. It was music that felt like a blend of sound effects over actual instruments – being that it was synths and techno mixes. When a character goes flying off in the distance of space, unconnected and no resistance to stop them, they keep going. So the thought of being left alone and leaving the area with no return is scary! You struggle with them as they strain to grab a hold of something to stop them from floating away. There are scenes where the characters are running out of oxygen and you can’t help but hold your breath. You put yourself in their shoes and you want to breathe when they breathe. The characters are engaging because they feel like real people. Clooney feels like a person you’d want to hang out with, and Bullock feels like she is your neighbor or even family relative. I think she reminded me of the school teacher that died in the Challenger shuttle explosion back in the 1980s. The only negative a person could possibly argue about this film is the factuality of some of the elements. The Space Shuttle program shut down over 2 years ago, so the idea of this movie taking place in the future with a shuttle is somewhat unbelievable. But, again, it’s a movie and it’s still enjoyable. And the most important elements – the physics and mechanics of being in space – feel very authentic. Overall, I HIGHLY recommend this movie to the mass audence. Especially in 3D! It felt so real and I was in suspense the entire time. I wanted the characters to survive this ordeal and get back to Earth! Go see GRAVITY! You’ll be drawn to it...
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