“Do not judge a book by its cover,” one of the golden rules, really proves true with Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity.” From the trailer and other previews, the film does not seem to be much more than a series of events with somewhat stunning graphics. Remember the golden rule and listen to the critics when they say: “This is one of the best movies you will see.”
Once logic starts to play in, it does not take a neurosurgeon or movie fanatic to know any time Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are in the same room together, it is going to be good. When Bullock and Clooney are the only actors in a film there is nothing that can stop them. The raw talent and bright energy everyone knows the two have greatly contributes to the film as their relationship develops throughout.
The space adventure opens with Mission Specialist Dr. Ryan Stone, Bullock, performing maintenance on the Hubble Space Telescope beside Mission Commander Matt Kowalski, Clooney. With his thruster pack, Kowalski carelessly glides around their space shuttle, testing its operations before Mission Control in Houston warns the team of approaching space debris from a Russian missile strike on a defunct satellite. Things quickly go from carefree to panicked as they are forced to abort the mission. The rest of the film covers the struggles Stone and Kowalski face because of the debris.
Stone is on her maiden space voyage to perform work on Hubble. Her inexperienced background leads into many nerve wracking situations where she is caught unprepared and stunned, not sure what to do. She fights with the space debris moving at mega speeds in orbit around the Earth to secure herself and Kowalski. In this severely dangerous process, Stone also faces the danger of only single digit oxygen levels remaining in her suit.
It is true the movie would not have been what it was without the serious work of the special effects team. However, it was not misused. The white house was not exploded nor were there any silly, one dimensional characters whose only function was to create an explosion. Instead CGI was used to aid in the creation of a meaningful story and because of that, this movie brought much satisfaction. Ravishing views of space were created that brought the audience as close to it as most will ever get.
It was peaceful, refreshing and simply stunning. Most of the audience would have probably been okay paying $13 to just observe the crisp images of Earth on the big screen. They were awarded a bonus to have actors and a plot thrown in. The movie had a perfect pace to hold its already jaw dropped crowd for the short 90 minutes, which was a smart move as it was all the movie could have been. Any more would have loosened the audiences’ attention, diminishing the film.
In the end, the plot is not twisted or a work of a classic, but together with the striking graphics and well respected cast, “Gravity” does its job. It tells a powerful story without cramming in all of the unnecessary hollywood money-making components.
