Gravity (2013) – Encore Review 6

“You’re the genius up here. I only drive the bus.” – Matt Kowalski

Number of Times Seen – 7 (9 Dec 2013, 11 Dec 2013, 2 Feb 2014, 28 Sep 2014, 25 Mar 2015, 5 Aug 2018 and 20 Aug 2019)

Link to original review – Here, here, here, here, Here and Here

Brief Synopsis – Two astronauts are stranded in space following a catastrophe and must use their wits and know how in order to make it safely back to Earth.

My Take on it – This is a movie that fascinates me more and more every time that I see it.

The ability to create such a thrilling story by use of just two actors and amazing special effects is such a wonderful accomplishment and it resonates throughout on so many different levels.

George Clooney and Sandra Bullock are both superb in this film and the fact that they only have one another to work off of in this film shows how great they are at their craft.

Bullock was deservingly nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her work in this film and it’s a shame that Clooney wasn’t awarded a nomination for his role too even if it isn’t as flashy as hers is.

This is a perfect example of how a film can be enhanced y the use of special effects especially when they are done in such a seamless way which makes it feel as if there are no effects at all.

The plot of this movie is excellent and they find a way to keep the story both intense and thrilling throughout its entire 90 minute runtime.

The dialogue is superbly written and allows us to get a much deeper understanding about the characters, their lives and the situation that they now find themselves in.

Clooney’s character is especially great to watch since he is able to keep his calm and cool demeanor throughout all of the ordeals that they are faced with which shows how much of a professional his character truly is as opposed to Bullock’s character who is in space for the very first time.

His character is the true anchor of the story for both Bullock’s character and for the audience in order for us to take a breath and take in the situation around the characters and what they must do in order to extricate themselves from this predicament.

This movie won 7 Oscars (the most that year) including Best Director yet it wasn’t able to win Best Picture (which I still think it deserved over 12 Years a Slave (2013) because it’s a better film in so many different facets.)

Bottom Line – Great story that works on so many levels. Clooney and Bullock are superb in this film and the fact that they are essentially alone throughout the film shows how great they are as actors. Bullock was deservingly nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for this performance. This film is a perfect example of the way that a movie can properly integrate live action with special effects in order to enhance the story. The extensive use of effects is almost invisible here which shows how seamlessly they are inserted into this story. The plot is excellent and they find a way to keep things gripping for the very intense entire 90 minute run time of the film. The dialogue is great because it helps us get a much deeper understanding of the characters as they discuss their lives while trying to extricate themselves from this very dangerous situation. Clooney’s character is able to keep his calm demeanor throughout the entire film which helps give both us and Bullock’s character an anchor as things get very thrilling and suspenseful along the way. Very deserving of its Oscar nomination for Best Picture but unfortunately it wasn’t able to win that award along with its win for Best Director and 6 other technical categories making it the biggest winner that year. Highly Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – According to British sound designer Glenn Freemantle, creating sounds for a film set in a soundless environment presented a whole new array of technical challenges. Freemantle used an acoustic guitar rigged with microphones on the outside and hydrophones on the inside. With the guitar immersed in a tub of water, Freemantle created sounds by rubbing and touching various items against the body of the submerged instrument to generate the ethereal sounds heard on the film’s soundtrack. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (10/10) (no change from original review)