Gravity

Gravity is a masterpiece!WARNING: the following, is filled with SPOILERS. So if you haven't seen this film, you might not want to read the rest of this review.All the harsh critics who love pointing out the scientific "flaws" in Gravity, are missing the entire point of the film.It's important to note that Gravity is NOT a documentary or even a docudrama about astronauts and a tragic EVA mission. It was never intended to be either of those things. This film is an amazingly conveyed story about a parent recovering from the death of her child. All of the "peril in space" is incidental.The action largely serves as metaphor for the obstacles Sandra Bullock's character must overcome, in order to let go of her crippling grief and to move forward. It depicts her struggle to regain control of her life, using the action as a storytelling device.Clooney tells her that she needs to "learn to let go". Indeed, letting go is the primary theme of the film. She's a woman adrift in her own life, and this is reflected by her plight in orbit. The director uses "poetic license" for a lot of the science, in order to tell her story and make it visually thrilling for the audience.At one point, she exclaims "The tether broke! I'm detached! What do I do?!" This dialogue is very important. In fact, from the very first moment her character appears, she exhibits a personality which is emotionally "detached" from everyone around her.When Clooney sacrifices himself, it might not be scientifically accurate, but it does serve two important purposes. It demonstrates that she is unable to "let go", even when she's told that her very life depends on it. And it places her in the position of being alone, having to cope with everything on her own. Again, this was poetic license on behalf of the writer/director.I also love how it repeatedly shows her pouring through instruction manuals. These sequences depict her "learning" how to make progress, until she decides that she's not going to give up.The scene where she finally reaches this decision is beautifully realized. They show her in a state of oxygen deprivation, in which she hallucinates the return of Clooney (who represents her unconscious mind). It's essentially Bullock telling herself that life is worth living, and remembering previously compartmentalized information that will allow her to survive (prompting her to re-purpose the soft landing jets).During the conversation, she's told that she needs to "plant both feet on the ground and start living life". And this is what we see in the final shot of the film. Her water landing, sinking and resurfacing (after nearly drowning), symbolizes her "rebirth". This is further illustrated by the shedding of her spacesuit, and emergence from the water in a near nude state.Of course she wouldn't be able to immediately walk, or even stand, after spending so much time in a zero gravity environment (more poetic license). But the final shot is really a beauty, showing a close-up of her feet, as she firmly plants them, and takes several steps forward (moving forward with her life)...just as she unconsciously instructed herself, only minutes earlier.Gravity is a beautifully crafted and exceedingly well told story. In this sense, it IS a perfect film. It's very sad, that so many people dismiss the film as being overrated, boring or scientifically inaccurate. And I'm sorry to see that Neil deGrasse Tyson has failed to embrace the poetry, by nitpicking it. As I said, the movie was never intended to be a documentary.I did see a video, where he DOES say that he enjoyed it. But in the same video, he craps on the director's decisions, regarding the scientific inaccuracies...basically shrugging off the symbolism and poetic license.I hold scientific accuracy to be very important. But in the case of Gravity, I truly believe it deserves a pass.And now, I will humbly ask all the Gravity detractors to give the film one more view. Only this time, please look at it with my review in mind. Naturally, this is just a request. I would never attempt to impose on anyone, a task they have absolutely no desire to undertake.If anything, Gravity is very underrated. As I said at the beginning of this review, it's a masterpiece!

This movie has many visual effects that the average person would consider breath-taking yet believable having seen many of the "shots" from real life Space Shuttle and other videos of today. It allowed the viewer to experience them in a unique way however, actually having feel of the lack of gravity. The movie had a hidden "pholosophical" undertone that was buried in the video experience. The distress of the characters - and the simplicity (only really 2 charactiers) leant to a very personal relationship. The writer/producer/directors of this movie were conveying many hidden meanings (the floating fetal position, et al). It was ultimately a story of the "will to live" - "to survive", and the willingness to accept an end when all hope seemed lost (the Chinese capsule - shutting down the air) only to have something deep inside rejuvinate her spirit. The title "Gravity" seemed to refer to the "lack" of gravity throughout. I must admit the "luck" involved in the capsule separating and finding its way back to Terra Firma was a bit unfathomable - being oriented properly so as to enter with heat-shields down and such. But artistic license toward the climax made it acceptible. In the end the true basis for the title "Gravity" became totally clear as she crawled to the shoreling and struggled to stand up - ah - the beauty of the gravity so many complain about as things drop to be picked up. She loved "Gravity" that point and we see its importance suddenly. Sandra Bullock, her good looks aside, is an amazing actress who filled the bill well. Clooney was excellent if not complete himself, albeit in a space suit. The use of a female astronaut was a good move, showing the strength of a woman and how a man complimented her instincts to survive. I watched the DVD 3 times, once alone - taking in mostly the effects as such video experiences will do and not really absorbing the meaning or plot. The second time with the wife, she loved it. I worried that a Sy-Fy flick like this would not appeal to her (she likes fun family, chick-flicks normally. She enjoyed a lot (a surprise to me). The third time I had my brother in law over and we watched it together, I pretending I hadn't seen it yet. He was enthralled with the story and effects. In the end, we showed it to the group of seniors here at the senior condo. The minimal, but appropriate, cursing by Bullock when in dire straits was not offensive with an occasion Sh.. and F..k done very quietly and in a moment of fear.Our Monday evening entertainment night showing went very well. All seemed to enjoy it on the 75 inch screen. My unit has a 57-inch with surround sound so it was very enjoyable there too. This movie uses almost no sub-bass so a decent sound system is adequate. Surround adds a little with some audio shooting from behind - but not too much. It is well produced for a quality visual and audio experience without expensive gear. I highly recommend it.

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney were excellent.The story was believable.The photography was believable and excellent and beautiful and harrowing.This movie is not to be missed.WOW!(Movie won: Seven Academy Awards & quite a few other awards - all well-deserved!)