“I don’t think I describe enough movies as beautiful. Fun tends to be my most overused adjective. But beautiful only pops up on occassion. And it’s the last word you would expect me to use to describe a scifi thriller, but that’s exactly what Gravity was: beautiful. I’m referring to the film as a whole, but in particular the visual. And that’s that I saw it in 2D on a regular screen. This was the rare film that I would have sought out 3D, but laziness won out. I don’t think I lost anything because of it, but I certainly see how much more would have been added from the additional dimension.
I still can’t get my head around how the movie was filmed. I know it was an entirely new technology that involved moving the cameras to follow the actors movement. Whatever they did, it was breathtaking. If it’s rare that I call a movie beautiful, it’s even rarer that I comment on cinematography, but the cinematography for Gravity was stunning. I don’t even know how to describe it without going into too much detail. There were times when I’d be watching something for a certain point of view, and then wouldn’t even notice when that viewpoint switched. Sounds weird, I know, I’m not doing the technique justice in my description.
On the flipside, the suspense was so thick. Walking out of the theater, my chest felt a little tight, and I realized I’d been holding my breath thru the entire movie, not literally, of course. As soon as the lights came up, my movie buddy turned to me “”Remember my dreams of becoming an astronaut?”” “”Not so much anymore?”” *shakes head violently* I knew that it involved an astronaut stranded in space, but I wasn’t sure how it was going to play out. I’d heard that Sandra Bullock had really invested in the emotional aspect of the story, so I was picturing a lot of flashbacks and interwoven story. Sorta like 127 Hours but maybe without the hallucinations. Instead the whole 90 minutes really did just follow her in space, and it did not let up once. To quote another friend’s recommendation for the film from FB “”Bring a stress reliever””
The film is already garnering quite a bit of buzz in the industry. When I start hearing things like that, I start paying closer attention to aspects I may not have otherwise noticed. Something I read suggested that it could be a front runner for some of the sound awards, even though there is so much silence. It argued that sometimes it’s the absence of sound that makes all the difference. Big crashes out in the void didn’t make loud explosive Hollywood noises. And a lone astronaut really didn’t have any sound around her.
Sandra Bullock is also garnering some buzz, and it’s very much deserved. It was a very full performance, but there was a lot of physical work that went into it as well. I’m usually in favor of rewarding such above and beyond (see also: Natalie Portman, Black Swan). The way the technology worked, everything had to be basically choreographed, and most of time she was the sole actor on screen. I don’t know that there’s many other actresses who could have handled it.
Gravity – \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/