(Movie Review) Gravity (2013)

Things are not always as they seem. At least in Hollywood. To prove this, I am about to blow your mind. Do you realize that Sandra Bullock is actually a bigger box office draw than George Clooney? It’s true. I just ran the numbers. Before starring in Gravity, Clooney has a box office record of $1.6 billion, which is an astonishing sum of money. But Sandra blows past him with $1.96 billion. So we know that Bullock is a true box office power house. And it’s not just cheesy movies like Miss Congeniality (2000). She had been in movies like A Time to Kill (1996), 28 Days (2000) The Bling Side (2009) and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) that prove that she is much more than just a comedic actor. So WHY are many people surprised that she was picked to star in this movie? People act as if Clooney (the man who starred in Men Who Stare at Goats) was the “sure thing” and she was a “gamble”. But I assure you, she was absolutely fantastic in this film. I don’t think that I would have enjoyed it nearly as much if anyone else would have starred in it.

Storyline: Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) and astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) are on a routine spacewalk when they have an incoming message from NASA regarding shrapnel from numerous destroyed satellites that are headed in their direction. As Matt tries to help Ryan back to the ship, she is knocked off course and begins to float off site. They have approximately 90 minutes to get back on board and safely begin their trip back home before the shrapnel returns. But things are not that simple and their escape plan is riddled with obstacles that will test their resolve and their will to survive.

Worth the admission?  If there has been a single movie that I have seen this year that was worth it, it was this one. First of all, this movie is BEAUTIFUL. There is not a scene that you will not be in awe of. Second, the actors are phenomenal in this. This is basically a two person show with very little assistance from other actors. But they told your attention with almost every line and with every scene. It is the best that I have seen from Bullock and Clooney and the way that they work together is amazing.

I would also like to point out that there is so much symbolism in the film, about life, evolution, afterlife, and everything in between that it really adds some weight to certain scenes and to the movie as a whole. This is a movie that you want to see in the theater. Not only should you see it in a theater, but if you can see it in 3D (or even IMAX 3D) pay the extra money to do it. It’s worth it.

A-