Review: Gravity

There seems to be an unwritten rule for batshit crazy films about space - if it's got one syllable, you've got a winner on your hands. Moon, Sunshine, Solaris, Alien, the list goes on and on. Obviously not all of these films are seminal classics, (and sadly only one of them contains a naked George Clooney) but one thing that they all have in common, aside from the names, is the inventiveness of each film's director to strive to show a side of the space experience that hasn't been seen before. But despite how good some of these films may have been, Gravity well and truly topples them all.

I wrote in my preview of the Autumn's cinema that I was terrified to see this film, and really, I was quite right to be. Space is generally a terrifying thought, and Gravity comes along and proves that we were right all along to harbour grudges against the millions of galaxies that are out there. There are very few nice things that happen in this film. Just when we, oh foolish audience, think that finally everything is safe, something catastrophic will happen, and set us back to square one. If you're a nervous person, or are easily invested in characters and their survival then be warned - this is not an easy film to watch. You, just as I did, will most likely have at least 30 minor heart attacks throughout this film. But in a weird and twisted way, it's all part of the fun.

Here comes the obvious part of the review, the part that has been repeated countless times in countless reviews since Gravity's debut at Venice a few months ago - the film is absolutely, unquestionably, almost shockingly stunning. From the 15 minute-ish long unbroken opening shot, it is a film that will make you ooh and ah in awe. What Cuaron has achieved with this film is simply incredible. While I'm not usually an advocate for 3D, if you're planning to see this film in 2D then I urge you to reconsider, and experience the film to the fullest. 

With a film this technically brilliant, it does seem like a lot to ask Gravity to be as incredible in other areas, and as many other people have commented, the script is perhaps not that great. Sandra Bullock's character is fairly rudimentary, and spends the first 3/4 of the film overwhelmed and screaming, throwing in some emotional (and what some people have called unnecessary) backstory. However in order for the audience to truly put ourselves in her shoes, she needs to be a fairly simple character. And asking for a story as complicated as say, Moon's, seems like asking for a lot, considering how complicated some sequences are. Though perhaps a little weak, I was still engaged with the story for the whole of the film, and even found myself coming out of the cinema ruefully shaking my head and saying "I can't believe Sandra Bullock nearly made me cry".

Whether or not you're interested in space, whether or not you enjoy Sandra Bullock as an actress, Gravity is definitely a film that you need to see, as soon as possible. Every so often a film comes along that is described as "THE film experience of the year", and Gravity more than qualifies as 2013's.

Grace Barber-Plentie