BULLOCK AND CLOONEY. Immersive viewing treat.
Imagine yourself getting stranded in outer space—or, in the case of Sandra Bullock in Alfonso Cuaron’s exhilaratingly terrifying sci-fi drama, “Gravity,” drifting in the inky vastness of the cosmos some 600 km away from earth—after the tiny tether that connects you to your aircraft is cut loose by deadly space debris, and you have only 8 percent of your oxygen supply left!
The situation is a guaranteed spine-tingler that has Bullock, who portrays medical engineer, Dr. Ryan Stone, hanging on for dear life—and hitting Tinseltown’s awards circuit anew! The 49-year-old actress is left to fend for herself for much of the movie’s 90-minute running time—which is no easy feat.
Piquing the interest of claustrophobes and agoraphobes isn’t a new cinematic tack: There’s Tom Hanks in “Cast Away,” James Franco in “127 Hours,” Ryan Reynolds in “Buried,” and Robert Redford in the upcoming “All Is Lost.”
Boundaries
But, “Gravity” pushes the boundaries of filmmaking by telling a story that plays out in zero gravity. As it delves into its metaphors and existentialist themes, it vividly captures the breathtaking beauty of space—and the dangers that lurk in its midst. It mirrors our struggle to surmount countless adversities without getting heavy-handed about it!
The viewing treat is made more immersive by Cuaron’s seamless fusion of 3D, live action, CGI and other technological innovations: A specialized, 12-wire rig that enables Bullock and George Clooney, her co-actor, to rotate, float or tilt at different angles, and an LED-controlled Light Box that casts the appropriate illumination on the characters as they move through space—this gorgeously photographed film will make you feel like you’re taking a spacewalk with the astronauts!
We don’t often hear about Kessler Syndrome, because spaceships aren’t part of our daily commute—but, the mounting manmade debris in orbit could soon make space exploration infeasible, which is what happens as Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) installs a new scanning system on the Hubble telescope of the Explorer.
As mission commander Matt Kowalski (Clooney) floats beside Ryan using a jet pack, they soon find themselves scurrying for cover to avoid the devastating impact of the sharp fragments from an obsolete satellite that are moving on a deadly collision course with the Explorer. Thereafter, with their spacecraft in tatters, their communication with Mission Control in Houston is lost—and, with it, any chance of rescue!
Questions
Cuaron builds an atmosphere of urgency and dread that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats. But, there’s more to “Gravity” than its visual bravura, pulse-pounding thrills and stunning evocation of space—it’s a parallel reality that feels intimate and real to its core. It shakes up a conventionally frivolous genre by raising provocative questions about the vagaries of life without feeling didactic.
Bullock puts her Everywoman vulnerability to excellent use as her beleaguered character’s personal issues shake her out of her apathy. Not once does she succumb to her role’s histrionic “temptations” as she comes to terms with her grief and intimations of mortality.
The generous Clooney has limited screen time, but invests his role with subtle shades of humor that leaven the production’s tense and melodramatic sequences, and help fortify his costar’s thespic stamina. The film is a refreshing showcase for Bullock, who is the heart and soul of Cuaron’s urgent survival piece—and Oscar-worthy cinematic parable!