I always find films to be better when watched on the big screen. The experience as a whole can be a bit hit and miss (I won't get into my love/hate relationship with cinemas here) but the actual viewing experience is most times superior. Although I would always prefer to see a film this way, there are some that almost need to be seen on the big screen for the full effect to be had. 'Gravity' (2013) is one of these films. I missed this one in the cinema upon its release but even watching it on a small screen I can see how this film would be an utterly visceral experience if watching it in the environment of a cinema with the huge screen and massive noise. It is a film specifically made to be watched in this way and I really missed a trick by not watching it when it was released. The film follows a small group of astronauts working on a US satellite. This group includes Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), who is helping install a new piece of machinery to the satellite. Her mission soon becomes one of survival when debris from a destroyed Russian satellite starts hurtling its way towards the group, destroying the satellite and leaving Dr. Stone and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) stranded in space.
Lets start by talking about the narrative. It is a really simple one, but one that allows for a lot of great action scenes and moments of tension. We effectively follow Sandra Bullock for 90 minutes, with 45 minutes of that being exclusively her, and yet I never felt bored. The film did lose a little bit of steam after the initial blast that is the first 30 minutes, but it has enough heart and emotion which kept me interested and involved in the plight of the characters. The first 30 minutes are so intense. The film doesn't take its time in having the main characters put into mortal danger and when it does it is massively exciting. The tension was at points unbearable and yet I couldn't pull myself away. It gripped me and pulled me in. The narrative of this film is ultimately just a vehicle for the visuals, and in that respect this film is superb. It is a visual and technical marvel. From the very first moment you are swept away in the visuals. There is an unbelievable scale to everything and when George Clooney says 'You can't beat the view' you can't help but agree with him. It is beautiful to look at even on my crappy laptop screen. I am extremely envious of all the people who saw this in the cinema.The film is equally breaktaking on a technical level. This film has not seemed to age at all. The CGI is impeccable. Everything feels real. Not only that, but the zero gravity effects are also incredible. How did they do that? I am sure there is somewhere out there where I could find that out, but I would prefer to not know and just be in absolute awe of this films achievements in that area.
There are only two on screen performances in the film and they are both very good ones, even if the dialogue is a little iffy at times. There is also the off screen performance of Ed Harris as the voice of Mission Control which is good if not minimal. But it is with Clooney and Bullock where the two main performances lie. George Clooney is effectively playing himself in the film. He is super charming and a smooth talker, but is also really good in the moments where he needs to be serious and take control of the situation. I never found myself feeling as though the character was just reading a script and truly believed that Clooney was in fact a trained and experienced astronaut. Bullock is the real star of the film, being the character we follow for the entire runtime, and her performance is excellent. She carries the film really well and it is engrossing to see her character's growth throughout. She starts being just plain terrified and reliant on Clooney's character to keep her safe, but as the film progresses you see her become her own hero. Bullock captures this character growth brilliantly. You feel the terror, hope, frustration and ecstasy throughout her performance and she deserves credit for holding the film up on her own for the majority of the runtime.
'Gravity' is a film that I gained much more admiration for upon second watch. The narrative may be a simple one but it is told very well and does lead to a lot of super exciting and tense moments of action. The acting is also great, with Clooney and Bullock both putting in engrossing and emotional performances. But it is the visual and technical achievements of the film that are truly outstanding. It is a beautiful film to look at, and the special effects are pretty much flawless throughout. Not once did I feel like this wasn't all taking place in space and the filmmakers need praising for this achievement. It is definitely a recommend. Find the biggest screen you can and put this film on. It will be an experience you won't soon forget.