Thursday, October 10, 2013

"Houston..... we're fucked"

Wow!  Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón’s space-based adventure drama ‘Gravity’ is an awesome cinematic achievement, a visually stunning and visceral experience that will leave you breathless.  Using cutting-edge FX and innovative filming techniques, space has never been portrayed with such realism or grandeur.  This is the type of groundbreaking movie that visionaries like James Cameron, Steven Spielberg or George Lucas wish they can claim credit for. 
 
On the surface, ‘Gravity’ is a simple story of survival against the elements with only two protagonists, George Clooney’s space shuttle commander Matt Kowalski and Sandra Bullock’s mission specialist Dr. Ryan Stone.  We don’t really get to know them, but like most survival tales such as ’127 Hours,’ ’The Impossible’ and ’Life of Pi,’ this movie has a way of grabbing you and not letting go.  And “Don’t let go” was exactly what Sandra Bullock had to do in the movie, lest she spiral out into the endless oblivion of space.  Set in the unforgiving vacuum of space over 300 miles above earth, ’Gravity’ makes for a riveting and compelling story as we’re taken along on a giddy, exhilarating, frightening and emotional (not necessarily in that order) roller-coaster ride over the course of the movie’s tightly paced and efficient 90 minutes.
 
Do yourself a favor and go see this stupendous piece of work on the big screen in IMAX 3D.  The extra surcharge for IMAX 3D is well worth it, because to watch ‘Gravity’ in traditional 2D simply won't do.  So  immersed was I into this movie that I ducked when the space debris were scatter-shot at me, and I instinctively reached out for the bolt when it flew out from Sandra Bullock’s gloved hand.  So silly.
 
Grade: A+
 

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