TIFF Movie Review – Gravity (2013)

While on a mission rookie astronaut Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and veteran team member Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) become the only survivors when the debris from a destroyed Russian satellite causes massive collateral damage.  With a limited oxygen supply the pair attempt to reach the International Space Station with Kowalsky using his jet pack which is running out of fuel.

Matt Kowalsky is the type of person you want to be with when everything falls apart as he has the ability to remain calm and to come up with solutions.  Dr. Ryan Stone on the other hand is in a state of panic as she lacks the experience to cope with such a situation.  The opposite personalities play well off of each other as it emphasizes that each person acts differently when faced with the same problem.  Kowalsky who has the habit of telling stories provides some humour to the story.   Stone is hampered by a grief resulting from the death of her four year old daughter which is smartly told while passing the time heading to the Russian space station.        

As much as Gravityis a study of crazy camera angles which at times take on the perspective of a spiralling out of control Dr. Ryan Stone, it is also features a number of plot reversals which help to keep the tension high.  No place of refuge is safe for an extended period of time.  It is daring to have a cast of two people which allows an intimacy to develop between the actors and audience members.  One has to smile about the choice of having Ed Harris (Apollo 13) reprise his role of being the voice of mission control in Houston, Texas. 

Great attention has been paid to the details as a tear is allowed to drift towards the camera lens.  The editing is seamless as a number of continuous shots are utilized.  There are times that music becomes bombastic but overall it enhances the storytelling. Scientific fans will be happy that no explosions occur while in outer space; but that is not to say fire cannot erupt in oxygen-supported environments.  Some of the imagery would make Stanley Kubrick (2001: A Space Odyssey) proud, such as the one with Sandra Bullock (A Time to Kill) where she resembles a fetus inside a womb.  Just for the sheer entertainment value Gravity elevates the concept of being lost in space to new heights.