At one point during 'Gravity', having survived several
catastrophic events, Doctor Ryan Stone (played by Sandra Bullock) finds brief
respite in a Russian Space Station.
Exhausted from her ordeal, suspended in zero gravity, she curls in to an
almost foetal ball and allows herself to sleep, if only for a few minutes. With this image, director Alfonso Cuarón
establishes the key theme of his latest movie - that by going through and
overcoming adversity, it is possible for an individual to experience a kind of
'rebirth', as they discover depths of resolve, and/or a renewed sense of purpose
in life.
If lofty visual metaphors aren't what draw you to watch a
movie, then perhaps the mere fact that 'Gravity' contains the most incredible
visuals and special effects work you will see this year should convince
you. Technically, this film is
astounding - it is easy to believe that the entire film was actually filmed in
space, and that the actors themselves were sent up in spacesuits. In fact, they were suspended in special
harnesses, operated by the same puppeteers that brought 'The War Horse' to life
on stage. There are some magnificent
shots, at once epic in scope and humbling in their beauty: astronauts, tiny
white specks against the darkness of space, floating above the Earth - one side
slowly illuminated by the dawning sunrise, the other marked by pockets of
yellow light where cities lay, thousands of miles below. There is also spectacular camera work - in
one long take, the camera pans around the floating astronauts, pulling in on Dr
Stone, passing in to her helmet so that we see the catastrophe from her view,
before panning out again. All this is
seamlessly integrated with effects work which is amongst the most realistic put
to film. Technically, this film marks possibly
the most significant development in film since 2009's 'Avatar'.
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| You can only imagine what a nightmare it was for the effects team to create all that debris... their work has more than paid off however! |
However, like that film, technical wizardry and invention
combined to make jaw dropping visuals aren't entirely enough to cover up
flaws. For some, the characterisation
may be too vague - on the one hand, the focus is on Bullock and George
Clooney's seasoned astronaut Kowalski, so this is understandable; but at the
same time there are only a handful of instances which give an indication of
their motivation (beyond staying alive) and back-story. Bullock's Dr Stone only has one key moment of
background exposition, without giving too much away, but it allows a broad
'brush stroke' which suggests a certain amount regarding why she would be
working in space; it also serves to highlight the key theme of someone being
transformed, re-born if you will, by their experience of adversity. In as technically focussed a film as this it
would be easy for Bullock's performance to be lost, but she does enough to keep
the viewer rooting for her, and to feel knuckle-tightening tension with each
moment she comes close to oblivion.
Clooney's performance is serviceable, yet ultimately it just seems as
though he is being George Clooney in a space suit.
While some viewers may feel the characterisation lacks
enough depth for full emotional investment, there is no denying the power of
the several scenes where potential catastrophe befalls the characters. There are a number of points I found myself
flinching as debris sweeps towards the camera - I'm pretty certain my wife
almost jumped out of the seat next to me at least once! In a year when wide-scale destruction has
become so regularly presented in several films, these scenes truly have impact
(no pun intended!).
If you have the opportunity, this film should be seen in
IMAX - these visuals deserve to be seen on the biggest screen possible, so that
they can be truly enjoyed and appreciated.
If not, this film should still be seen at the cinema - not just because
it represents another step forward technically, but because it is an assured,
visually stunning, triumph. Films like
this don't come along very often, so take the opportunity to see it on a big
screen while you can!
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