Review of Gravity (2013) by Tjosephubert — 19 Feb 2015

Okay, so, obviously, there are a lot of people that did not like the movie. While they're entitled to their own opinions, I think the biggest reason for their disappointment are these two reasons: the plot, and the actual "science" of the film.

First, we'll start off with the plot. Really, the entire basis of the plot is that, during a space walk, a large debris field is created that threatens the lives of all the people that are on the United Sates' Explorer (a rocket). That's it. But, if you look a little deeper, you'll see that there's more to it than that. You see, the story is really character driven. You're supposed to care for Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney). The story is entirely about Stone. It is about her learning to live life instead of just "driving," or in other words, just living. After she lost her daughter, she never fully coped. In fact, she just went as life went. Job, space, whatever. They were just things to her. Nothing was really important other than her job. But when she is in space, her problems become clearer, and she is able to deal with them. My favorite part of the movie is actually when, after being untethered from her companion, she falls asleep in the fetal position. In this scene, the tether is seen in the background, giving the appearance of a fetus; it's symbolism of her being reborn. Now, to me, there were really two separate plots, the first, the debris cloud, was very weak; however, the second, the story of her coming to grips with her daughter's death, was very strong. In fact, it is the strongest part of the film, and it is the reason that critics fell in love with it. I think that the people who don't like the movie either missed this plot, or they could not connect with it. I was someone who could connect with it, and very easily so.

Now, the second complaint about the movie is the "science" part of it. Firstly, there are many errors that were made mostly with the physics. Actually, the whole premise of the space debris cloud is impossible. The locations of the Chinese and Russian stations are also changed to match the plot. What I don't understand about this complaint is the fact that this movie is "science fiction." Because it is fiction, as a movie writer, they changed facts. Actually, the definition of science fiction means that it is based off of a future (unless it is in the present) that has imagined scientific advancements and technologies. Now, technically speaking, a movie can change the facts of life. If someone wanted to make a movie where the was absolutely no gravity on earth, they could do that. If they wanted to make a movie where water was really soda, they could do that as well. Just because they made many changes from actual reality does not make this a bad film. Sure, you can easily spot what they got wrong, but if you do that, you'll miss all of the things that they got right!

Now, for my actual review. This movie is beautiful. I mean, it contains some of the most beautiful images ever captured on film. Earth viewed by from space is a stunning back drop. Actually, space itself is beautiful in this movie. However, what I thought they did very well was that they took something beautiful (the stillness and awe inspiring aspects of earth and space) and they showed us that it is equally as dangerous as it is beautiful. That, despite us being able to go to space, with out the things we've created, there is no possible way to stay alive there. That it is dangerous. That it is an endless wall of black, and that when untethered, we will float endlessly to our deaths in it.

Other than the beauty, what I thought was best about this movie was the drama. Sure, the special effects are great, but the depth of the characters were amazing. We only got to see the shell of Ryan Stone until the very end of the movie. The biggest thing that stuck out to me was that by the end, she still didn't care whether she lived or died. But the reasons for that changed. She didn't care because she knew she was trying, and she knew that she was fighting, and because of those two reasons, she knew that she was living. She'd finally dealt with her problems and she was at ease. She knew that it didn't matter anymore because her life had been well lived: she had had a daughter, she had gone to space, she had survived for as long as she had, and if she died, at least she'd be doing it while feeling alive.

So, at the end of the movie, when she finally takes her last steps, she knows that she made it. That she gets a second chance to live her life. That she's no longer going to be "just riding." And that is her greatest triumph as she takes her first steps on earth. The promise of her new life that could have only been achieved by going through the travesty of surviving her ordeal in space. And those final steps, paired with the emotional score, are the most triumphant final steps taken from any movie. And if you can see that, you'll enjoy it as well.