‘Gravity’: Suspense in space sends you into orbit

  • By Robert Horton Herald Movie Critic
  • Thursday, October 3, 2013 8:39pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

At first glance, the title “Gravity” sounds like a useful, if generic, handle for a suspense movie about astronauts who become stranded in orbit when disaster strikes.

If you see this movie — and you should see this astonishing movie — you’ll understand that “gravity” suggests an idea that goes beyond the subject of space travel.

The film begins during a routine spacewalk, as we meet a veteran astronaut, Matt (George Clooney), and a medical expert, Ryan (Sandra Bullock).

She’s on her first mission, a newbie who needs his wisecracking reassurance.

This dreamy opening (you might want to sit in the back rows if you’re prone to motion sickness) is invaded by news of dangerously fast-moving debris in orbit, and the film kicks into an eye-filling suspense picture for the remainder of its incredibly tense running time.

It’s a survival story, like many set at sea or in the desert. The difference is there’s no solid ground, or even a horizon: just the stars hanging in space and the Earth — in oddly close proximity — below.

We can’t even rely on the camera to orient us in this directionless world, because the idea of up and down is irrelevant. So we float, weightless, around characters who grow increasingly desperate.

“Gravity” is the first film for director Alfonso Cuaron since 2006’s “Children of Men,” and it is a technical tour de force.

It deserves to be applauded for its intricate, digitally manufactured look, and for Emmanuel Lubezki’s photography (some shots appear to go on, unbroken, for more than 10 minutes, as though our vision had become untethered in orbit, too).

I saw the film in 3D, but even in 2D the movie shows us things that have not been seen by many human eyes. The view is enthralling well before the survival story kicks in.

The film also offers a look into one character’s grief, an idea that might be simplistic if we watched movies for their single-sentence themes — but we don’t. Cuaron embeds this theme within his flabbergasting adventure story, and the blackness of space stands in hauntingly as a metaphor for one person’s depression.

Bullock and Clooney perform the way movie stars are supposed to: They draw you into a fascinating situation and bring enough of their personalities to enliven it. Encased much of the time in spacesuits and helmets, they are part of the film’s amazing design, a world that could not exist without the wizardry of digital effects.

The technology shouldn’t obscure the fact that Cuaron has a way of seeing, which he wants us to share. That’s what movies should do: make us view the world anew. In this case, the same goes for the off-world.

“Gravity” (four stars)

Astronauts Sandra Bullock and George Clooney find themselves lost in space, as director Alfonso Cuaron creates an amazing digital canvas for an incredibly suspenseful situation. More than just astonishing technology, the film truly makes us see in a new way.

Rated: PG-13 for language.

Showing: Alderwood Mall, Cinebarre, Everett Stadium, Galaxy Monroe, Marysville, Stanwood, Meridian, Sundance, Thornton Place, Woodinville, Cascade Mall, Oak Harbor.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.