Review of Gravity (2013) by Zack P — 15 Apr 2015

Thrilling, tense, ambitious, exciting, beautiful, and horrific. These are the words that I mostly hear that is associated with this film and I can now safely say that it does live up to those words. It's praise from critics and general audience is definitely understandable as this film is a powerhouse in direction, cinematography, musical score, and visual effects.

The film is written by Jonás and Alfonso Cuarón. Both have written a script that focuses much more on the survival of both Stone and Kowalsky, which I think is a great approach and also can be risky in being discarded as another thriller that does not break any new ground. Gravity does not feel campy as the story places these two characters in a situation that has the audience feeling tense and fearful of the unpredictability of space and the chance of not being able to breathe. The film does also touch on philosophical themes that had me understand the value of life.

The film is directed by Alfonso Cuarón. who is best known for his work on the third Harry Potter film and Children of Men. Cuarón is definitely a great storyteller and knows how to keep both simple and deep audiences to be thoroughly entertained. Cuarón doesn't seem to try to create something unique but rather create something that would evoke something from the audience.

Gravity's photography is handled by Emmanuel Lubezki who is mostly known for his work on Terrence Malick's recent films. Gravity is simply a gorgeous film and definitely may be the prettiest film of the year. The photography captures the darkness and emptiness of space and supports the tension and tone that Cuarón was going for. Visual effects also plays a role in making the film look and feel realistic. I watched the film in 3D, which I rarely do, but it definitely works in this film as debris come by the characters and sometimes come towards us and haves us looking away as it just feels so real and frightening. I cannot decide whether Lubezki's best work is either the emptiness and lifeless picture of Gravity or the beautiful image of life and nature of The Tree of Life.

The film's score is handled by Steven Price, who is a new composer as he has only really worked on three films. Price has cerated a score that kept me felt tense without me knowing that it was Price's score that caused me to flinch or shocked me. The last time a score that had my heart racing was Hans Zimmer's score on The Dark Knight Rises. Gravity's score definitely doesn't stand out in comparison to other thriller-action films in recent years but this doesn't retract from the score's effectiveness to get a reaction out of us.

The film's acting is driven by both Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Bullock as Ryan Stone was great in showing the fear that one would feel when they are helpless in space. Clooney as Matt Kowalski portrays the rational thinking that is required from a person when a crises occurs, he is the voice in our head that we must try to listen to but sometimes is clouded by the anxiety and fear that we feel when a crises occurs. Both actors play well with each other and something I deeply enjoyed while watching this film.

Gravity is a intense thriller that haves the audience feeling fearful and anxious of the dangers of space while at the same time delivering a good score and an incredibly gorgeous photography. This is definitely a film that I would constantly come back to in the future as it's themes and approach resonates well with me.