Review: ‘Gravity’

How often are we promised thrills by a film’s trailer, only to find that the ‘promise’ comes with the quid pro quo of swallowing heavy-handed monologue from a sweaty superhero about man’s inhumanity to man etc. ad-nauseum…

…well, not this time. Gravity is 91 minutes of the most scintillating cinema in recent memory. My 60-something Mum, usually indifferent to the action-adventure genre, came out of this breathlessly exclaiming: “That was absolutely amazing!”.

We’re thrown right into it. With an opening shot reminding us of 2001: A Space Odyssey, we’re in orbit with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney), rookie Mission specialist Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and the crew of the Explorer shuttle as they repair the Hubble telescope. Suddenly disaster strikes in the form of lethal space debris, and Stone and Kowalski must fight to rescue their vessel – and their lives.

And that’s it. No subplots, no tangents, just hang on.

At heart this is a hapless-human-struggles-against-impossible-odds story, but it’s so well done you don’t care. The visuals of disintegrating spacecraft are so utterly believable you forget you’re (probably) watching special effects (unless this was the most expensive location shoot in history!). The action is so well paced our attention rarely wanders, and Steven Price’s minimalist score accentuates every scene.

The great film-making trade craft extends to the human story at Gravity‘s heart too. We know just enough about Stone and Kowalski to like them, thanks to the characterful script and the stars’ charisma. Stone is the newbie who is completely out her depth when the going gets tough, and Sandra Bullock makes the most of the opportunity. Her frustration, grief and flailing helplessness are tangible. And Clooney’s weather-beaten wisdom-under pressure thing is both charming and affecting. Apparently Robert Downey Jr. was first choice, but its hard to imagine anyone but Clooney wearing the spacesuit.

Sure, you might question a circumstantial event or two used for dramatic story-telling, or moments when the director’s love for past sci-fi and action classics is too obvious. But why carp?

So go see this…on the biggest 3D-equipped screen you can find. We want exciting entertainment with heart, and this time we get it. Promise kept.

9/10

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