Gravity Review

By Thomas Broome-Jones

I've finally watched it, the film that was the focus point of my first article on this blog. I wanted to watch it on its opening weekend but I wasn't able to get round to seeing Alfonso Cuarón's genre re-inventing sci-fi masterpiece Gravity until last night. The rest of the team and myself decided to go and see the film together and only one word was leaving our mouths when we got out of the cinema, "How?".

This still is taken from the very first shot of the film...which is 17 minutes long.

That's the question I kept asking myself, how did they pull this off? Personally, 3D has always been a gimmick to me, they charge you a couple of extra quid and you have to wear stupid looking glasses that give you a 30% colour reduction of the screen and hardly any of the film actually utilizes the 3D. I've seen films with double the budget of Gravity commit this sin and yet here is a film that has convinced me 3D has a place in cinema. Gravity's inspired use of 3D rarely relies on things "jumping out of the screen as if you could actually touch them", instead the 3D is essential to how the narrative plays out. The dark vastness of space engulfs you and you feel like you're right up there with the characters orbiting Earth.

This total immersion allows for incredibly unique shots and angles that break almost every technical rule of filmmaking. Cuarón first introduced mainstream audiences to his love affair with long-lasting shots with his 2006 sci-fi masterpiece Children of Men. Thankfully, this sci-fi masterpiece has been a huge success at the box office, something which Children of Men definitely deserved but failed to achieve. Normally in a film, when the camera is constantly spinning around and inverting the image, it should make you feel disorientated and uneasy. Thanks to the ingenious employment of 3D, all of this chaos seems natural and relaxing. 

Aside from technical mastery, of which there is plenty (this is easily one of the greatest visual experiences I've ever seen), Sandra Bullock, give that woman an Oscar. Anyone who questioned her acting abilities beforehand must surely now be silenced. The length of the shots forced her to remember long lists of specific movements and to sustain the emotional weight of each scene. Clooney presents his usual irresistible Hollywood charm and demonstrates why he is one of the most charismatic actors out there, but Bullock steals the show hands down. She totally sold it to me that she was an astronaut in a life-threatening situation and captured the emotional intensity of being trapped in outer space. This is a film that without strong performances would have been impossible to emotionally invest in and I honestly can't picture any other actress in this role.

So, what more can be said about Gravity without delving into Spoilerville (population: horrible people)? The visuals alone are stunning and have redefined the sci-fi genre. From now on there is NO excuse for poor 3D visuals in blockbuster films. Gravity is now the standard for how 3D should be used in my mind. The cinematography, direction, sound editing, sound mixing, 3D and acting all join together to create what is for me the best film of the decade so far. Don't be put off by the extra money you'll have to splash out for 3D, if you are able to find a 2D screening of it, don't bother, you'll be doing yourself a disservice. This is most definitely a cinema film, an experience. If you can afford it (which I couldn't), the IMAX is obviously the best option, but a normal screen will do. Also, sit at the back, trust me on that one. In all honesty, I don't see a film coming along for quite a while that will top Gravity, and I'm now even more confident that it could become the first ever sci-fi film to win Best Picture.

Gravity is in cinemas now, it has a 12A certificate.

Thomas Broome-Jones is on Twitter, you can follow him @TBroomey.