Alfonso Cuaron’s—
A Review
Unlike any
other movie I watched, watching Gravity followed a thorough perusal of anything
and everything available as reviews. I came across many wonderful movie
reviews, but found none, in fact, that can stand true to what I saw and how I
felt during my watching of Gravity. It seems, not many of the reviewers caught
a good glimpse of what the movie is all about and what stays hidden, behind the
lines, for the connoisseur to observe and savor.
Image Courtesy: Google |
The two
actors, the only living human beings that appear during the 90 plus minutes,
are chosen wisely. They have, to use a worn out phrase, done their jobs well.
Writing department has imparted the best work, giving Hollywood an appealing
show to cherish. Gravity is a survival story directed by Alfonso Cuaron, and is
typical in its structural alignment, the beginning-- ambitious space project,
middle—the catastrophic accident, and end—an epic struggle for survival, like
many other survival movies in Hollywood.
Image Courtesy: Alfonso Cuaron |
Gravity
is rich with symbolism, with amazing graphics, and that helps it rise above the
mundane Hollywood numbers. Ryan Stone’s (Sandra Bullock) fetal position, the
sunrise over the earth, seen from outer space, and the shower of space debris
seen up in the sky when Ryan Stone looks up from the ground, just after the
narrow escape into gravity—form the tripod of fascinating moments in this
movie. Alfonso Cuaron’s Golden Globe is a doubtless side effect of this
remarkable achievement.
Although
only through his voice from Houston, Ed Harris was impressive too. This movie
is a classic from our time.
Although
the first hype to the movie is borrowed from a George Clooney-Sandra Bullock
chemistry, those who watch it from start to finish can realize that Mr. Clooney
has a very short length of screen space for himself. As Tina Fey observed
during the Golden Globes 2014, “It’s the story about how George Clooney would
rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman
his own age.” However, this very nature of Clooney’s role makes it the
classical centre of audience sympathy. The character played by Mr. Clooney, Lieutenant
Matt Kowalski, although attempts to help the medical engineer and Mission
Specialist Ryan Stone, is overpowered by the perils of the vast and mysterious
Space. Nevertheless, Matt Kowalski is sure to satisfy Clooney fans.
Image Courtesy: www.hollywoodreporter.com |
Although
Clooney’s character seemed to be a typical flat one, Sandra Bullock’s Ryan was
dynamic. Psychologically, Ryan Stone moves from point A to point B, learning
through her experiences. Ms. Bullock had enough screen space to exhibit her
acting skills too. A definitive attraction is Ms. Bullock’s long and toned legs
when Ryan Stone floats inside the zero gravity Space station.
The central
precipice of the story is the loss and discovery of meaning to life. This is
narrated through Ryan Stone’s character and how she identifies the necessity to
stay alive, which in turn makes the character ‘round’—a changing and dynamic
one. The events through which the story resolves suggest that even in the
dizzying vastness of space, if one holds on to the essence of life, a cause
that can lead one forward, survival is guaranteed.
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