Gravity Review

No spoilers in this review beyond what can be seen in the trailers.

Whenever I turned on the TV in the last couple weeks, it seemed all I saw were trailers for the movie Gravity.  Honestly, I thought it looked a little boring.  When I went to visit my friend in Seattle, the commercials were everywhere again.  We went to Red Robin, a commercial played on a TV at the bar, and when trying to choose a movie we kept seeing it pop up.  We both weren't really interested in it.  Then I read a few reviews on it and saw the ratings and my friend and I decided that maybe we could see it.  How could a space movie warrant so much attention?  We wanted to see a movie in IMAX 3D but found Gravity was sold out so we preordered tickets for the following day. We waited in line for 45 minutes to get good seats for a sold out show.  We sat patiently, hoping that our faith in this movie and the time we had dedicated to see it would pay off.  It did.

Gravity follows Sandra Bullock's character, Dr. Ryan Stone, in real time throughout her harrowing ordeal following a space shuttle accident.  The entire 90 minute film is in space, often looking through Dr. Stone's eyes. It is unlike any film I have seen.  Alfonso Cuarón did a fantastic job of shaping a movie with an incredibly small cast into an enthralling experience.  George Clooney's character, Matt Kawalski, supplies a lot of heart and humor into the otherwise intense movie.

I experienced sadness, joy, awe, terror, stress, and even slight nausea.  A couple times I had to look down or close my eyes from motion sickness. This sounds negative, but to the contrary, these dizzying shots of space and Earth, as well as scenes in small confined spaces help the audience feel like they are actually with Dr Stone, in space, cheering her on through her journey.  

It is an emotional roller coaster.  When the credits rolled, the theater was stunned into silence.  It was an incredibly powerful movie and leaves you with a deep respect for those who venture into space and an appreciation to be securely planted on Earth.   It's box office shattering record is well deserved.  I would recommend it to anyone who wants to have a one of a kind movie going experience.  If you can, see it in IMAX 3D.  

9/10