Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity is a visceral, intense experience which effectively transports the viewer into the infinite and unforgiving realm of outer space. The story centers around Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer whose on her first shuttle mission, and long-time veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky whose on his final mission. What begins as a routine space mission turns into a terrifying fight for survival as rogue debris from a destroyed Russian satellite leaves the two of them completely alone in space. Gravity is a visually stunning piece of filmmaking which presents space in a way never shown on celluloid. The film is technically sound, beautifully shot, and equal parts terrifying and beautiful. The cinematography is fantastic, with great use of long takes, point-of-view, and inventive compositions that ratchet up an already intensive narrative. As the story unfolds I found myself gasping at the intensity of this experience, that seemed to come into play at every turn. In a way Gravity encompasses all of Cinema should be, but unfortunately the film's emotional and thematic beats leave a little bit to be desired. Thematically the film is really about letting go, accepting the things in life one has no control over. Dr. Ryan Stone's character is dealing with personal tragedy from back home and the film goes a little too far at times to hit this point home and spell out this theme. The tragic back story of Stone is really completely unnecessary but I don't have a problem with it in principle, more so because of the heavy-handed execution. The viewer really doesn't need any more incentive to root for Stone and the development of the theme just feels rushed. In the end, on a technical and artistic level, Gravity is a 10 out of 10 type film, but unfortunately the somewhat heavy-handed narrative holds it back from being a truly special achievement. 8.25/10
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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