Movie Review #3 - "Gravity" 

Yes ... Finally a movie still playing in the theatre ...

On IMDB:  "Gravity"

 
Plot Synopsis:  People are working on the Hubble Telescope from the Space Shuttle.  Things go awry and they are blasting by space debris ... Three astronauts are dead and Lt. Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) and Mission Specialist Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) are floating through space, trying to figure a way home ...

I don't want to say more ... because I'll spoil the movie ...

Benny's Rating: 8 / 10 Tabasco Peppers

Cinematography:  I went to see this movie in IMAX 3D.  It was INCREDIBLE.  Yes, it's a lot of CGI.  Yes, it's not really the mechanics of space.  But ... WOW ... Stunning shots ... I love the wide shots they used for isolation, vastness of space, beauty of space, etc.  The tight shots of the characters were perfectly timed.  It was visually stunning ...

The bad part about the 3D experience is the stupid gimmick ... Pens floating in space, Marvin the Martian Figure ... Really?  Was that really needed? 

The tears rolling off of Sandra Bullock's face, then floating were eye-catching and really impressive ...

While I couldn't find the company name of the Special Effects, Set Builders, 3D Designers, etc., there is a long list of people who did the work ... And it was worth seeing this.

Acting:  Going into this, I had very low expectations of both Clooney and Bullock, especially Bullock.  Sandra Bullock as an astronaut?  I don't think so.  But ... She really did an excellent job.  I didn't see any of her previous roles show in this movie.  She's such a pro and did a fantastic job.

Clooney was so-so ... I like Georgie-boy, but he seemed again like "Danny Ocean" from "Ocean's Eleven"... He seemed a little too comical for the part ... He's a good actor and all, but I didn't like his approach. 

Others ... Well .. There are none.  Voices from Houston's Command Center ...  Dead astronauts ... Not much ...

Bullock carried this film and did a great job with it.

There's a good back story with her character that I wish they would have spent a little more time, not only developing, but closing the pieces of what they put out ...

Screenplay:  Different for a change.  And good different.  It was a drama filmed in space.  Not a space movie so much.  And the acting backed it up.

The pace was perfect as far as I am concerned.

Overall Recommendations:  Go see it.  Is it worth the $17 US that I paid to see it in IMAX 3D?  Debatable.  I have a problem spending more than $10 US on a film.  Period.  However, I'd like to see it again.

This one you will want to see in the theatre.  It will not be a good film to watch at home.  The visuals are stunning, the acting is good, and the conclusion brought home a certain faith in humanity that I didn't expect to feel.

One last thing ... After I left the theatre, I was actually a little wobbly in the legs ... That's how good the special effects, 3D, and overall cinematography was ...