Mood; an often overlooked, yet incredibly powerful part of a movie. Cinema these days often fails at setting a mood, a tone, or a connection between the audience and the moment on the screen. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a movie fanatic who enjoys much of what I see, but very few movies deliver on what they set out to do; invoke emotion.
The Movie Itself
The entire hour and a half of Gravity is an emotional roller-coaster. A movie done so well that one can’t help but feel deeply invested in the situations. And Gravity takes its toll as coming across as an emotionally exhausting experience. As bad as that sounds initially, it’s important to remember that Gravity is a dramatic thriller that takes place in space, with everything going wrong for the characters right from the get-go.
So many people have asked, “what’s Gravity about?” But it’s really hard to explain past its elevator-pitched synopsis, “A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space,” without filling the room with spoilers and movie details.
As a response to that closed synopsis, a friend asked me to sum up my thoughts on Gravity in three words, and I simply couldn’t. I thought of going with stunning, unique, and intense but those adjectives fall short of showcasing the many other amazements Gravitydisplays.
No film since Avatar has used Hollywood’s newest gimmick, 3D, to a level like this. The beauty and majesty of space is truly on display and the first-person views the audience is occasionally graced with benefits from the three-dimensional experience. But it is Alfonso Cuarón once again setting a mood for a film that is unmatched and keeps you sitting at the edge of your seat, holding your breath while you wonder what’s next and is each situation, that all seem to be completely in the air, going to resolve in a positive manner or not.
There are so many moments in the film that features little possibilities passing by, but so very few come in to play. As the audience explores what’s next being tied to every movement, every breath, and every word spoken, you’re also constantly contemplating what’s going on behind the astronauts and what is right around the bend.
The praise is heavy for Cuarón, but Sandra Bullock and George Clooney deliver rolls unlike any other. Clooney, to a degree does feel like Clooney, much like he does in all of his films. He is incredible at taking on the roll and being believable in that character while still coming off as George Clooney. That may be attributed to his being the type of guy that everybody says “yeah, I can see him doing that with his life” about.
Bullock however gives her best performance to date. The intensity Cuarón puts on the screen only works if Bullock gives the performance she does, and thankfully she delivers beyond what anybody could expect from an actress who already carries such lofty expectations.
The most interesting part of the film, however, comes in all of these pieces coming together so perfectly that the experience is unmatched. It all also flows into a plot that is so well defined and direct but also open to interpretation of what is really going on. Confusing much, but if you’ve seen the movie, a visit to The Wrap’s spoiler-heavy article Did Gravity Really End as it Seems? is a fantastic idea.
If I were to compare Gravity to the other science-fiction space films I would say it exceeds the modern day Star Trek films with its beauty and visuals of space, it powers past the thriller Event Horizon with its intensity and suspense, and it fits in the world of Stanley Kubrick’s2001: A Space Odyssey with it’s complexity and layers while appearing so straight forward and simple. Gravity, however, is in a league of its own with its plot and what it is doing for cinema.
Presentation
The Mpeg-4 video encode for the Gravity Blu-ray release is as impressive as they come. Replicating one of the most visually stunning theatrical experiences was a tall task, and Warner Bros delivered. The image is crystal clear, with some of the most breathtaking shots I’ve seen in a while. Distant debris boasts plenty of detail and is clear as it races closer into focus. Nearby items float with ease and a fantastic amount of dimension. The dark realm of outer space never loses its expansiveness as shadows refrain from crushing and the deep blues and blacks give the movie a truly amazing three-dimensional feel. All around, this is a flawless video encode and makes me wonder how more movies aren’t as flawlessly transferred to home video.
The audio on Gravity is up there too, with a strong DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, but it’s not as flawless as the video. There are a few times where levels are so different volume adjustment is needed, and that’s something I feel takes away from the experience. Sound was crisp and clear, with the use of audio fantastically replicated. The center channel isn’t the clear favorite as audio is masterfully directed during each sequence. As the camera circles the astronauts and events so does the direction of the audio, challenging all five speakers involved as well as the subwoofer. But one should never have to adjust the volume of the speakers while enjoying a movie.
Extra Features
You know a movie has a good set of extras when people are talking about them before they come out as well as when the running length of the combined items is longer than the movie itself. Gravity strikes gold with both of those.
Gravity: Mission Control (HD): Gravity features a 100+ minute documentary that features multiple segments focusing on different aspects of the movie including filming, visual effects, space, and much more. This is a really extensive behind the scenes look that offers plenty to the fans of the film.
Shot Breakdowns (HD): This is less a collection of shot breakdowns and more a set of quick scene-specific featurettes.
- Behind the Visor
- Fire in the International Space Station
- Dr. Stone’s Rebirth
- The Sound of Action in Space
- Splashdown
Aningaaq: A Short Film by Jonás Cuarón (HD): One of the features I was most excited for was the short film created by Gravity co-writer Jonás Cuarón, It’s the focus on the Inuit fisherman Bullock’s character contacts while aboard the Tiangong‘s escape capsule. The short wasn’t as impressive as I had hoped for, but it was a fun extra feature.
Collision Point: The Race to Clean Up Space (HD): An Ed Harris narrated documentary that is somewhat frightening. It takes a close look at the real threat space debris is and what the likelihood of a Gravity like event occurring could be.
Final Thoughts
To sum it all up, never have I seen a movie like this. When I saw Gravity in theaters I left thinking it was the best movie of the year. After seeing nearly all the other award contenders I remain behind that pick. The Blu-ray is award worthy too, with a perfect video presentation, fantastic audio track, and nice stack of extra features. Gravity delivers a truly unique and amazing experience.
[accordion title=”Specs” id=”id-specs”]Release Date: February 25, 2014
Studio: Warner Bros
Video: Mpeg-4 AVC, 1080p, 2.40:1
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish, Portuguese
Runtime: 91 min.
Rating: R[/accordion]
