GRAVITY

 (2013) 91 Minutes, Rated PG-13

Mike's Note:  Here is another First review from a new 'guest reviewer', A.C.! He has had many comments on other movies that have been reviewed on this blog, and its nice to see a fan and avid movie goer want to add one of his own reviews to by the by movie reviews.   We hope he keeps his reviews coming! Thanks A.C.!

Also on a side note, this review makes the 40th movie to be reviewed in the 6 months we have been up and running! 

A.C.’s Review:  'Gravity' is the new Sandra Bullock and George Clooney movie detailing a  mission to upgrade the Hubble telescope that ends in disaster when a chain reaction of colliding satellites destroys the space shuttle stranding Dr. Ryan Stone and Astronaut Kowalski in space. Their only hope is to get to the Soyuz escape capsule at International Space Station before the satellite debris circles the globe and destroys the station as well. 
 

This was a highly enjoyable film for many reasons. It takes advantage of a setting rarely seen in movies—high Earth orbit.  I usually prefer movies with a “cast of thousands” but this is the best use of a two person movie I have ever seen. The sense of wonder and danger of space is completely brought to life when it is usually glossed over in most sci-fi movies. In fact you might label this more a drama than a sci-fi movie as it is pretty realistic though some suspension of disbelief is required at the ease of which Sandra is able to operate a variety of foreign spacecraft.

Much has been made of the visuals of this movie depicting the environs of space and the slowly spinning Earth below. The hype is not exaggerated and every penny spent on this movie is apparent in the screen. Much is CGI but it’s the best use of CGI in that you don’t realize its CGI (unlike the opening of 'MAN OF STEEL' on KRYPTON where it’s immediately apparent that it’s a total CGI/Green Screen construct). With that said, there is lot of press where the director is pimping out for it to be seen in 3D…that it was “meant to be seen in 3D”. Not necessary! He knows the film will make more money if people buy 3D tickets thus increasing his next director’s fee LOL). Though 2D showing are rare this is absolutely wonderful when viewed in 2D as well.

A.C.’s Rating:  Worth full admission price. Do NOT wait for the DVD. It’s a movie truly meant for the big screen.

.