REVIEW: GRAVITY

I remember so clearly seeing the brief, hyperventilating trailer in the summer movie season of "Gravity," thinking very polarizing thoughts. Then I saw the full-length trailer, I warmed up a little to the idea of Bullock and Clooney in space. By the time this film came out, the buzz around it was deafening, not only from the critics singing it the best technical achievement since "Avatar," saying they should go ahead and just give it the Oscar come February, but from my peers, where the FAQ was "Have you seen 'Gravity' yet?"

Let's start this out by saying "Gravity" is worth the hype, in some ways more than others. Will it get nominated for Best Picture? 100%. Will it win? Probably, though "12 Years a Slave" is eyeing the prize as well. "Gravity" is one of the more technically perfect movies I've seen in a very long time. The only movie to come out in recent years to match the accomplishments with 3D would have to be "Avatar," only as that made me experience the same amount of wonder and the possibilities of cinema. It is an utterly submersible experience that will leave you with the impression of having seen the earth in all of its glory.

I've read very much into the making of this film, so I have one enormous question for director Alfonso Cuaron and his son Jonas, who wrote it with him: When you are meticulously, tediously going over every second of choreographed space floating, astronaut technical jargon and symbolical meaning to the thematically-charged aspects of rebirth.......WHY DIDN'T YOU BEEF UP THE DIALOGUE?

Listen, I understand Clooney's Kowalski is supposed to be the veteran of the group, the experienced moon-walker who's supposed to stay calm and nonchalant...but come on, the things he says to reassure when they're near to DRIFTING ALONE IN SPACE FOREVER is just not realistic. For sure this is a small complaint, but it picked at me while I was still watching it.

These are nitpicks anyway, as small errors can be forgiven in a film that dares to take you where few have, and for the viewer to leave no questions. The visuals here make "Apollo 13" look like PowerPoint special effects. Bullock's performance is melancholy, reflective and utterly determined, and even though I bashed Clooney's dialogue he's still perfectly fine in a decidedly supporting role. And last but not least, coming in right next to the top-notch acting, directing, and effects is the score. Along with the various debris flying at you, the score takes you on a journey of its own, crashing along with the character's plights and resurrecting as they go through a resurgence of morale. I'd use other big words to describe this film, and they're all applicable (there's another one!) but the longest sentence I got out of watching this groundreaking film was: "wow."

Rating: 3.5/4