Movie Review: Gravity

Image from here.

Don't let go.

Alvie and I were looking to have a good, relaxing time at SM Aura, and how else to do that but through movies, right? No matter what anyone says, shopping is not relaxing. Quite the opposite! Haha. It was a particularly cold day in the mall, and especially in the theater, so that set the mood quite well for immersing ourselves in the darkness of space. We chose to watch this movie because we heard good things, and let's face it, there aren't too many good movies these days.

I hadn't watched the trailer prior, so I had no idea what I was in for. The movie impressed me and disappointed me for surprising reasons. It starts off very well and really gives a great feel of the characters and their environment. The pace at which 'shit gets real' is amazing. I was awestruck from seeing the scenes unfold in what seemed to be very realistic and interesting outer-space physics. I don't think the concept of anti-gravity has ever been portrayed better on film. Everything in vacuum, down to the sound, made me feel I truly was able to experience it, to a point. Some of the scenes are breathtakingly beautiful. Seeing the earth from so far away in this new and tantalizing light gives you a renewed appreciation for the usually boring ground we tread.

Image from here.

I try not to pay too much attention to acting because constantly assessing it ruins my experience of being in the story. I only usually notice great acting when it is screaming at me in the face. In this case, it was. I never really liked Sandra Bullock since Demolition Man, and since most of you probably won't even know the film, you know that's a while back. In this movie, she did a spectacular job of bringing life to a character fighting for her life. Just like that, I'm a fan again.

Better special effects than this, anyway. Haha.

The only thing I didn't really like was how the story progressed. Despite the action, it felt very slow at times. I realize this is most likely intended, to get you to feel it all through the character's eyes, but as far as being entertaining goes, it doesn't do the trick for me. At the end of the movie, I was left wanting more, but not in a good way. I found it to be too focused on a specific, rudimentary chain of events, and I was hoping for something infinitely more expansive, especially since they already set the groundwork for something so brilliant.

Other Notable Cast:
George Clooney as Matt Kowalski - His acting was also quite good.
Ed Harris as Mission Control - This Apollo 13 actor is just a voice here.

Verdict: 3/5 - Many loved this film and some hated it. Considering everything above and since I rate movies based on how entertained I am, I'm right in the middle. Perfect execution to something I wish was much bigger. One other thing I do regret is not watching this on IMAX. I bet it looks amazing.

Loved Gravity? Hated it? Let me know by commenting below, or just tweet me!



Here's the trailer!