․ Directed by Alfonso Cuaron
․ Genre : SF, Drama
․ Starring : Sandra Bullock, George Clooney
․ 90 Min.
"There is no sound. There is no air. Apart 600 km from earth. It is impossible to live in the Universe". The movie Gravity starts with these phrases. It describes Dr. Ryan Stone's struggle to come back to earth from outer space.
Dr. Ryan Stone is a mission specialist who goes into space to fix the Hubble Space Telescope with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky. When the work is being finished and Dr. Ryan Stone is chatting with colleagues, the Space Flight Control Center on earth announces, "Russia exploded their broadcast satellite and it created many fragments. You guys have to go back to the headquarters because these are flying towards you with frightening speed." After the announcement, Ryan and Matt try to finish the work hastily and go back to the ship. However, the fragments arrive faster than expected. The debris destroys the Hubble Space Telescope completely, and due to the shock, Ryan drifts away alone into space. Matt barely manages to find her and tries to get back to the ship with her. However, they face a difficulty: a lack of oxygen in her spacesuit. It is expected that more fragments will strike them in 1 hour and 30 minutes. They cannot send an SOS to the Space Flight Control Center because too many satellites were damaged by the fragments. These extreme circumstances make their struggle to get back to earth even more challenging.
Actually, Gravity doesn't have grand background music, aliens, a space war or an intricately entwined plot like many contemporary movies. Then how can this simple plot catch the attention of people who are accustomed to more flashy movies?
First, Gravity gives us a good chance to experience a new kind of fear we cannot usually experience. We feel fear and horror when we watch a murder in a thriller movie or a psychic phenomenon in a horror movie. But this story is about a human who is like a speck of dust in the universe and her struggle to escape the limitlessness of space makes us feel uniquely frightened.
Second, this movie describes the universe better and more vividly than any other movies have. I recommend that you watch Gravity in IMAX 3D or 4D so you can feel as if you are experiencing the universe rather than watching a movie. When debris comes at you, you can feel the fear more realistically.
Third, the acting abilities of Sandra Bullock, who performs the role of Dr. Ryan Stone, and George Clooney, who performs the role of Matt Kowalsky, are excellent. Even though they shot most of the scenes in a movie studio, their acting is not awkward at all. They make us feel that we are next to them, wearing a space suit, too.
Gravity offers a new experience to the audience. I suggest that you go see this movie with family or friends this weekend.
