I suppose at first glance (and maybe a viewing or two), it's inevitable that Gravity, Alfonso Cuaron's latest movie offering, gets compared to the iconic sci-fi classic, 2001: A Space Odyssey, more than any other space-themed movie. I'm not sure what that is due to - probably the fact that most of the movie takes place in space, with the protagonists in spacesuits. That does narrow down the list of Hollywood movies with a similar feel, to quite an extent.
The movie does not pretend to be an intellectual journey or a thinking man's movie. It is advertised as a psychological thriller set in space - and it does its intended job very well. There is no invitation to the viewer to ponder or overthink - All you're required to do, is empathize with the characters, get attached to them, and share their adventure. And it is easy to do all that.
Though thematically empty, the whole enterprise seems to be a subtle-as-a-hammer-to-the-head metaphor for Bullock's emotional distance and isolation from the rest of the world, and how Kowalski (Clooney) helps her through the journey.This is reflected both in Dr. Stone (Bullock) being adrift physically, in space, and emotionally, after the death of her daughter, while the voice in her head, Kowalski, guides her through the healing process, guiding her to safety, and towards the rest of the world, where Stone wants to reach, but cannot find a way to do so. (Can I have my psychology degree now?)
The 3-D seems to be useless here for the most part. For me, personally, the 3D seemed more like a gimmick and didn't really add anything to the feel of the movie (except for the part when the shrapnel hits the space station). I would have loved the movie just as much on a regular 2-D screen, as long as it was large enough for me to enjoy the panoramic views of the earth. As a space geek, and a long-time fan of Ron Garan and Col. Chris Hadfield's photos from space, watching views of the earth from space, had me spellbound, and wishing I was with Stone and Kowalski in space, hurtling debris and all.
Visually, the movie is, for the lack of a better word, stunning. The breathtaking panoramas of earth, sunrise as seen from space, the astronauts, and even the space stations and vehicles seeming tiny and insignificant, compared to the vast emptiness of space, the immense earth serving as the backdrop, the auroras glimmering over the earth - all awe inspiring sights. These are photographs we have seen on the internet and in books - cool and pretty, but not really effective - unless you happen to see them on a big screen, where the awe and even terror gets amplified, proportionate to the size of the screen. It is at moments like this, we begin to approach the awe and feelings of elation (and maybe insignificance) real astronauts in space probably feel every day. It's a feeling both humbling and exciting at the same time.
The CGI is impressive, and the efforts taken to make the movie look that realistic, must have been rather daunting. I can understand why this project has been 4 whole years in the making - the time was well-spent, I feel. The proof of the effectiveness of the imagery was felt by me in the cinemas - the gaggle of bratty loud-mouthed noisy kids were silent throughout the movie (except for a brief while when Clooney reappears and stops Bullock from killing herself). The fact that the movie kept these veritable noisemakers mum speaks volumes about the effect it probably had on them.
The performances are believable, and convincing. Clooney as the wise-cracking veteran astronaut, is easily believable, and he provides the rare, but very welcome humor in the otherwise-tense movie. He's charming, cute with his quips and lovable. Sandra, on the other hand, while not very convincing as a first-time astronaut, is convincing as a frightened drifter, trying to make it back to earth. I suppose this movie is not the best grounds to show off her acting chops or versatility of acting, but she does whatever she was supposed to do, well. I haven't been a fan of Sandra Bullock before, and this was the first movie in which I did not find her character annoying. So, I suppose that is a point for Sandra in her favor. The chemistry between Bullock and Clooney, while brief, is well-played, and easy to relate to. It's hard not to repress a cheer when Clooney comes sweeping in, helping Bullock towards safety. Considering that the selling point of this movie is the believability of performances and the chemistry between the actors, I'm counting that as a success. It works. Rather well.
The music, while good, doesn't really do a thing for me. If anything, it had me distracted and annoyed most of the time. The music is loud and it drowns out a lot of the conversation. Cuaron presumably tries to pull off a Kubrick and use grand orchestral music to inspire a sense of awe and shock, but it falls flat on its face (at least it did with me) most of the time. And half the time, I was left reading the subtitles to figure out what they were saying. Which distracted me from the visuals on screen. Not a good thing.
Like I mentioned earlier, the CGI and special effects - specially the ones in zero-gravity were fantastic to look at - both from the geeky and aesthetic viewpoints. When Bullock enters the ISS, and floats around, I was sitting there, grinning, remembering Col. Chris Hadfield's videos (specially his famous rendition of Bowie's "Space Oddity"). There is one particular scene from the movie which I fell in love with - a scene which still is running through my head as I type this - Sandra, having just entered the ISS, after nearly dying in space, strips off her space suit and just lies there in zero-g, slowly curling up in exhaustion. The scene has her floating gently, Sandra motionless, while her body spins gently, like a graceful ballerina executing a backflip in slow motion. It's sheer poetry in visual form. Ironically, it reminded me of the Starchild in 2001: A Space Odyssey (I know. I know.. I promised I wouldn't compare.. but this I couldn't resist), mashed up with Col. Hadfield's Space Oddity video.
All in all, minor scientific inaccuracies aside (we can let them pass, citing artistic license), Gravity is a spell-binding visual treat, and a first-rate psychological thriller. Just don't mistake it for an exercise in intellectual analysis. What works in its favor is that you don't need to analyze the movie to enjoy it. All you need to do is stay in the moment, put yourself in the protagonists' spacesuits, and have the ride of your life.
For best effects, watch it in IMAX 3D. The sheer size of the screen should make you feel the effects more vividly.
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