Gravity

Alfonso Cuaron did one hell of a job with this movie. Set almost entirely in the region of space just above earth's atmosphere, Gravity is a gripping, edge-of-your-seat kind of movie with an intensity that holds the audience from start to finish. Some might call this movie a "thriller", and I almost agree... but not quite. It isn't an action adventure, nor is it a drama. It's actually really hard to place. Any review or description other than this one will call it a drama thriller, but I can't really agree to either of those. 

Onto the filming: Gravity is filmed in such a unique way that almost flawlessly seems to put the audience in space with the characters. Each and every shot of it is taken sparingly, so as to increase the effect of each one. It takes a good observation to notice, but the entire first scene, amounting to about the first 10 to 15 minutes of the movie, is filmed in entirely one shot, yet it so wonderfully captures the whole setting of the first scene with the shuttle. The entire one shot is filmed so that the audience gets the sense of weightlessness by having the camera almost "drift" into the view of things, and feel like they are in space themselves, which I certainly felt throughout most of the movie. Nearly the entire film is done like this, using few shots where needed to achieve the desired effect, and more shots where needed to contribute to the feeling of panic that takes up a big part of the movie. So overall, amazing job with the camerawork. 

Now for the actors: Sandra Bullock does a superb job. I honestly don't really know how she could have done much better. She's one of those rare actresses who can give more emotion through their eyes and face than through their words. Next is George Clooney. I don't think I've ever seen him in a role as good as this one, yet again I haven't seen very many of his roles at all. He is an extremely likable astronaut who serves as the funny, smart guy on the mission. He puts in the perfect blend of humor, concern, and smarts to make the role shine. He also proves to be an extremely respectable character through his selflessness, a trait that he demonstrates about halfway through the movie in a way that I am afraid to mention because it might spoil it for those of you who have yet to see this amazing movie. 

Special effects: there is not a single special effect in this movie that is not entirely believable. For me at least. The gravity of space, which is nonexistent, is very well demonstrated in intense nerve-wrecking scenes in which the laws of physics are portrayed brilliantly. 

Additional details: the movie's message is brilliant. I interpreted it as this: life is a ride. You need to push your limits, because you can do a lot more than you think you are capable of. You need to plant two feet on the ground and live to the fullest. 

Im sure there are numerous other themes in it, but that was the one I interpreted the strongest. 

I also loved how they gave earth kind of a personality. For example, when the two survivors are making their way to a nearby space station, they engage in a discussion of back-at-earth related topics. Through these come happy and sad things that are mentioned. Whenever something joyous is brought up, the audience notices the greener side of earth and the luscious life it holds. When the topic of death comes into it, the characters pass over the dry, dead-looking desserts of earth. This I found as an extremely interesting way of showing emotions through the environment. 

Overall, Gravity is an excellent movie that gets 5 out of 5 stars from me. If you haven't seen it, you definitely should.