Gravity (Oscar list, 3/9)
Gravity, perhaps the most surprising film nominated this year. I consider myself to be a fairly up-to-date individual when it comes to news and world events, and I believe that I am fairly familiar with pop culture. However, I was surprised to see “Gravity” nominated for an Oscar because I had never heard of this film before. I am not saying I hadn’t seen the movie, I mean that I had never heard of it, read a review, seen a trailer or even a poster I can recall. I simply did not know this movie was in existence! But maybe there is a magical motif there, as most space movies revolve around the concept of being alone, out of communication with others and lost eternally.
Plot
I’ll let IMDB summarize the plot of the film. “A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space.”
Now, moving on….
Critics
As you may expect from the massive use of CGI in this film, Gravity is this year’s most expensive nominated film (complete list over here). The end result is stunningly beautiful, as many critics has mentioned.
“We’ve seen films set in outer space before, but nothing has ever felt this real.” Bryan Bishop, The Verge
“The best space film ever done.” James Cameron, James Cameron
Other critics have noted the dark theme of survival throughout the film (Some have even noted the film’s box office success to the lack of spoilers in the trailer, as is increasingly common today).
“Gravity is not a film of ideas, like Kubrick’s techno-mystical 2001, but it’s an overwhelming physical experience – a challenge to the senses that engages every kind of dread.” David Denby, New Yorker
“Gravity, a weightless ballet and a cold-sweat nightmare, intimates mystery and profundity, with that mixture of beauty and terror that the Romantics called the sublime.” Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
Thoughts
Perhaps I can never fully understand this film to the same extent an “older” film critic could. This is not an insult of any kind, but I was not born into the “space generation”. My parents’ generation however (and many critics would fall into this category) had an unexplainable fascination with space. With the moon landing, NASA, Area 51, Space camps, the Apollo missions and the IMAX Space films, the generation before mine had a heightened social curiosity to learn more about the infinite depths of space and the planets around us. Forbes magazine even alluded to this fact by noting “The audience demo was actually 59% ages 35 or older, which is quite rare for an opening of this size.”
While “my generation” may not be enamored with space travel, Canadian Chris Hadfield largely has made space “cool again” by harnessing my generation’s heightened social fascination (Web 2.0/3.0) through the use of Twitter and YouTube, which exploit our need for immediacy and (perceived) social connection.
Unlike Silver Linings Playbook, I understand fundamentally why critics love this film (97-100 on Rotten Tomatoes). Gravity is breathtakingly beautiful. It shocks the viewer as they wonder if it will be a happy or tragic ending. It has fantastic editing with extremely long camera shots. Lastly, the film has an endearing quality to it, which regardless of the ending persists throughout the film.
Sadly however, unless you watch this film for its art value, you may be bored. It could just have been that I was very tired, but this film failed to hold my attention, which is too bad.
Overall, Gravity (in my opinion) is a good film, but not a great one. Many other films should have been nominated in its place, such as the low budget Biopic Rush. Gravity is fresh and wonderful, if only I could stay awake…
UPDATE.
Over initially writing this review, I have received some flak from some people (yes, I’m talking about you, Jordan) who absolutely loves this film. I guess that’s the beauty of art. Everyone has their own interpretation.
UPDATE 2.
If there was a prize for “best movie poster” and “best typography”, Gravity would win.