Film Review: Gravity

When the trailer for Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men, Prisoner of Azkaban)'s latest film floated into  cyberspace, it was immediately thought of as a simple, buffonish survival movie in the same vein as Open Water and Frozen (not the Disney one) - it would be a straightforward thriller relying on star power and cheap scares in the minimal of surroundings. The reality is a film that is not only avoiding this paradigm completely, but is a masterclass in film making, an acting tour-de-force, and one of the most emotionally charged movies of recent memory.

Astronauts Ryan (Sandra Bullock) and Matt (George Clooney) are finishing off job circling the Earth's atmosphere, when their craft is suddenly hit and wrecked by flying shrapnel. Ryan begins to spin away uncontrollably into deep space. Aided by Matt, she has to somehow summon the courage and wits to get herself back home. This is essentially the film's narrative, and to delve into any more detail wouldn't do the film any justice.

Gravity is really a character study, an examination into the power of fear and determination to live. Unfortunately for Ryan, this is her first ever space mission, and she is tightly gripped by her deep anxieties. We follow her as she strives to overcome a terrifying prospect - being lost in space, alone, with limited precious oxygen.

The first thing that strikes you when the film starts is the camerawork, staggeringly impressive and bold. The shots are incredibly long, but never dull or drawn out. This is particularly the case in the opening, which is an astonishing 17 minute shot, swerving between the spacewalking astronauts and taking titanic glimpses of planet Earth in all its beauty. Many others are over a minute long, sometimes longer. 

We feel everything the characters feel, without the distractions of cuts and editing. At one point, it focuses on Ryan's face before entering her helmet and looking around at what she sees. Throughout almost the entire film, the camera seems to be spacewalking itself, floating like an inquisitive explorer, flipping and somersaulting in ways that will make you wonder how on Earth (or in space) they actually did it. We feel disorientated, the screen clouds up with her breath, and we follow her side in everything that happens.

 

Playing video games in space wasn't as fun as she thought it would be.

Cuaron has said in interviews how serious he was with the idea of actually sending his actors into space and filming it on location, which had the studios worried (they generally do not have a budget for that sort of thing). Gravity's concept and story had been circling for about 20 years, never being made simply because the technology did not exist at the time - not only because of the extraordinary camera and the actor's anti-gravity movements, but also the astounding CGI. When the machines are ripped to shreds by space debris, we see every shred, every floating particle. Earth also looks better than the real thing.

While a thriller in structure, it truly is an exploration of hope and fear. This is created by the presence and performance of Bullock, who is in every shot of the film and is deservedly so. She is a character convinced that at any moment her life is going to end, that she will be lost forever into the abyss. Her life experiences, which have shaped her to this point, rear their ugly head throughout her struggle, as she grows into a person very different to the one we are introduced to. It is a gripping performance that grabs you by the gut and won't let go.

Clooney is also in good form, charming the pants off everybody and providing some light comic relief. Perhaps some may think his character is almost too relaxed, too in control, in spite of the situation, but it seems that this is Cuaron's point - Ryan and Matt are polar opposites, yin and yang, fear and hope. As disaster strikes, he changes from colleague to father figure and counselor. As he supports Ryan, it feels like he is also encouraging the audience, comforting us to not be afraid. This may sound banal here, but in the light of the film's intensity, it is well placed and in good measure.

Let's hope they got a good deal for spaceship insurance.

The tension is increased by the film's score, with chords that rip and throb gradually, seeping into everything like a racing pulse thumping in our head. Silence is also used to reinforce our sense of isolation - there is no sound in space, so all the carnage occurs in total silence, which feels almost nightmarish, yet also very real.

If you are considering becoming a space tourist, watching Gravity is a much cheaper alternative - Cuaron, Bullock and Clooney will take you into space in a way no other film has done before.

10/10