Alfonso CuarÏŒn’s Gravity has already inspired some wild talk claiming it be a worthy successor to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s true that both films are set in space, and that both CuarÏŒn and Kubrick are rather ambitious filmmakers, but the most surprising thing about Gravity, (which screened for press and industry in IMAX 3D), is that it’s a whole lot closer to 127 Hours than to 2001. The running time clocks in at a svelte 90 minutes, the entire narrative spans less than 24 hours, and it’s about surviving a horrible, life threatening, freak accident. George Clooney and Sandra Bullock play a seasoned astronaut and a rookie scientist, respectively. When debris from a Russian missile test destroys a satellite they’re working on, they end up launched into orbit, trying to find their way home.
There’s a lot of (extremely) impressive special effects, but Gravity is really a high concept thriller with a very simple logline: how does one survive in space when something goes horribly wrong? At its best when it showcases the talents of its director and its worst when dealing with the possibility of poignant capital-D Death. Still, Gravity’s lowest lows are pretty atmospheric compared to most films. CuarÏŒn uses long takes (the first shot of the film lasts 20 minutes), a constantly roaming camera, and carefully constructed CGI panoramas to convey the danger that befalls our astronauts. If Gravity is a de facto demo reel for Cuaron’s talents, then it’s a mighty good one. The drama in Gravity is surprisingly by-the-book for movie that only stars two people, but the filmmaking itself is the best that money can buy.
Gravity premiered on Sunday, but will screen again at the Princess of Wales theatre on Monday, September 9, and then again at the Scotiabank in IMAX 3D on Wednesday at 9:00pm, and the following Sunday at 12:00pm at the Ryerson Theatre.
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Alan Jones writes about film for Toronto Standard. You can follow him on Twitter at @alanjonesxxxv.
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