Houston, We Have A Problem

Gravity

Sometimes in film, the best ideas are usually the simplest. Take Robert Zemekis’ idea to strand Tom Hanks on an island with nothing but a volleyball. Man versus nature is the simplest idea. Stranding a character with nothing but their will to survive, fighting against nature and everything “she” can muster. But what happens when nature takes the form of Space?

On her first trip into Space, Dr. Ryan Stone is on a simple mission to make repairs to the Hubble Telescope. Paired with veteran astronaut, Lieutenant Mike Kowalski, everything about the mission seams very routine. That sense of routine is shattered when the Russians destroy one of their satellites and the debris is flung at hundreds of miles per hour in their direction. What becomes an easy repair mission, now has become a fight to get back to Earth.

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star as Stone and Kowalski respectively. Both actors do a superb job with bringing that immense fear of being lost to the depths of Space. However, like horror films, I can’t really judge too much on their acting because they are reacting, reacting well, but nonetheless reacting. I could go into the other actors in this film, but they are merely voices, so in lies my dilemma in critiquing the acting of the film.

I am going to praise the direction of this film though.  Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Children of Men) took the “man vs. nature” idea to a whole different level. Cuarón brings the suspense at just the right pace. There is no dragging in this film, Bullocks character only has moments to “take a breath” and then things are happening again. I also admire the fact that Cuarón doesn’t stretch this film out more than it needs be. Most films like this (man vs. nature) like to focus on the character and what the character is feeling, but to me this takes away from the pace of the film. I’m here to tell you, don’t forget this director’s name, I’m pretty sure you will hear his name again.

I was hanging on every moment of this film and that is what I loved about it. The fact that this film is set in Earths’ orbit makes this film even more suspenseful. You die by a bear, at least you die here; but in Space you can just drift off into blackness.

Verdict: (Since it is coming back) Watch In Theaters, Especially in 3D.