Gravity: A Visual Spectacle

Gravity is a visual phenomenon - the cinematography is simply unreal, and so effortlessly seamless. We are taken on a journey ... from the brilliant beauty of space; the earth, the sun - to the insides of the helmets that encompass the real plot and story of the characters. We see the reflections of the earth onto their helmets, and the light pouring onto the glass - the visual effects are just ridiculously extraordinary. To think that Bullock and Clooney only had a green screen to work off, exhibits how technically astounding the film really is (this includes special effects). The film also has some insanely clever sound design; it ranges from the evocative silence of space that delivers something indescribable - to the muffled sounds of the actors. But what is truly amazing is how we are able to be completely immersed in what the characters are experiencing; when they fly past debris, we hear it - but when it's gone, it's only spinning through space. The score is also impressive, nothing particularly staggering- but to even be able to compose music for an environment where it is utterly soundless and have it work, is spectacular.

Now, moving onto Sandra Bullock. There is absolutely no doubt that we will see her name come Oscar time, because her performance is outstanding, to say the least. The character of Ryan Stone is not given much backstory, besides one little bit of information (the only problem I had with the film) - so for Bullock to pull off a character that we care enough for her survival, is remarkable. At this moment, I'm pretty sure it will be between Bullock and Blanchett for Best Actress. Clooney is, as always, charming - but his calm and collected character serves as a good soothing tone against the constant state of panic that the film encompasses.

I can't even stress how much this should be seen on the big screen. Find the biggest screen you can find and go watch it, preferably in IMAX 3D as well. I'm not usually a fan of 3D (there have been times when I've even taken off my 3D glasses and rather watched it in blurriness), but if it's any film you should watch in 3D ... it's Gravity. I was lucky enough to watch it on the biggest screen in the world, but any big screen would enhance the whole experience of submerging you into the world of space.

What Gravity brings is something of a cinematic triumph - building a fundamental story, into an intensely gripping and riveting experience that demonstrates what film can really do, and why exactly we love movies so much.