Wednesday, December 04, 2013

GRAVITY



Directed by: Alfonso Cuaron
Starring: George Clooney, Sandra Bullock
Run Time: 91 min

Space, the final frontier. This time Alfonso Cuarón visit the outer space to gives us the eerie thrill of being alone, literally. Not a science fiction or a politically charged theme, but a simple tale of survival. Some might relate this one with 2001: A Space Odyssey for the space scenes. Actually I have seen this two months ago but decided to write this now so later I can put a link on my best 2013 movies article.

Just like the title, this one will drag you here and there, even gasping for breath. Space debris threat the astronaut in space left Dr Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) floating in space. Alone and lost, they have to survive to stay alive. What happened with the other astronaut? Sadly they are dead.

The visual is amazing, it makes you scratch your head and say: "How the fuck does Cuarón put camera in space?". Here, visual effect plays a major role. It takes you into space and in 3D it looks amazing.

Created through a painstaking combination of physical and digital performance, I think it might get a nomination for best visual effects at the Oscar next year. What about the story? I think the story is just okay. It is not "amazing", although some scenes left you breathless, it is just okay. Sure any male would relish seeing that Sandra Bullock still look sexy at that age, but the story of survival seems a bit "made up".

Some know that the orbit of Hubble Telescope, International Space Station and other space objects are not of the same height. However the story make it as if it was "near". It is not a problem for me, but I think I expect more from Gravity. I expect a slightly philosophical tone, which is non existence here. Okay you can say that the loneliness here is something philosophical. However as a whole this is a good film, but not "the best" from Alfonso Cuarón.

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