Gravity (2013)

In some 372 miles above Earth, there is no air, no sound, no food — no nobody. Basically no reason to cling on to your very dear life; it’s much easier to let go.

But will you?

The very plot of Gravity resides in the non-fiction realm of the outer space and the juxtaposition of a few too many unhappy realistic circumstances. If you have high hopes on this film being scientifically correct in all its aspects, leave it all behind the door before entering the theater.

Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a newly appointed mission specialist and medical engineer who, alongside soon-to-retire astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney), was sent to the outer space for a mission to replace parts on the space telescope. While in space, the two leads and the rest of the crew encounter crashing debris from a satellite destruction, thus decreasing their chances of survival. As minutes went by, with gravity nowhere and oxygen running low, the lead characters fight the present circumstances that arise and face dealings with the past, for a chance at life again.

At times I find the plot boring, especially with the presence of minimal characters, one of which who is helpless, emotionally-weak, and professionally-challenged. But with Clooney’s wisdom and comedic timing plus the cinematography making it feel like they were actually in space* with things floating around, the reflection of the Earth on the helmets, and their body reacting to zero gravity (especially Bullock’s scene inside the spacecraft!) –it’s all worth watching.

Is there somebody down there looking up, thinking about you?

The movie started and steadily pulled off with entire silence in the background. I remember one instance where sound is present, only when Bullock’s character is using a drill. Sound waves aren’t possible in space so it must be that her character was the only one imagining the sound of the drilling, and director Alfonso Cuarón placed the sound there for better understanding of what the character is doing.

Then, the presence of fire. In the movie you’ll see little bursts of fire floating around up to the extent of an explosion; and the existence of satellites just within the same orbit, both of which is realistically impossible. But then again, it’s not a documentary so a liberty of going beyond reality is what should be expected from a scifi-film like Gravity.
I know I’m devastatingly good looking but you gotta stop staring at me

Now the premise of emotional bearing in the vast of nothingness is what struck me the most. The movie appeared as a metaphor to me, imbibing the aura of constantly finding a reason to live outside your comfort zone and to act even way beyond your belief. The movie doesn’t touch on the divine reasons of God’s greater plans though, especially with Stone losing her daughter due to a “stupid incident,” but it holds true to the faith of letting go of some things in order to live.

f*ck

Gravity is a movie that feeds on stunning details that at times would even give you the chance to view the character’s perspective. It makes you very anxious, afraid, and hopeful.

So, are you willing to let go of your assumptions and just enjoy the space walk? Besides, you’ll never look at sunrise the same way after watching this.

Rating: 9/10

Watch the trailer HERE.

Photo credits: IMDB, SCIFIED, SCHIZOMETRICS

*a stranger seat mate of mine, about 60 years of age, keeps on asking his late twenties daughter if the movie crew actually shot the movie in space, but that’s beside the point of emphasizing the realistic portrayal of this space movie. I’m just somehow amazed, while most of our seat mates annoyed, at the continuous side comments of the senior citizen that they can only resort to looking at him and scratching their heads because he can’t keep his mouth mum. In a way he’s provided noise into the disturbingly peaceful sound of the movie.