Gravity lives up to its name. There is weight to the subject matter, despite the matter of the subjects' weightlessness. Certainly, the film can be enjoyed as a hero story or disaster movie but there is more to it. It raises questions about being alone in the universe, and weaves a motif of birth, death, and humanity. I may be making it sound heavy, but these themes are presented in outer space so actually they float freely. There isn't even any friction!
Sandra Bullock is less action hero and more everyman (her character has a boy's name and amazing legs, so she represents both genders). For me, that is what makes this film work on a personal level. At first I struggled to reconcile how a seemingly frail person might realistically have come to be that overachieving medical doctor who transfers to NASA and six months later is freewheeling through space, but soon enough I just got enveloped by the story, for this is a film that transports its audience. I felt so close to Bullock's character and so close to the action I noticed myself flinching to avoid debris. The 3D element is effective in immersing the audience in the story, but so too is the cinematography. There is a remarkable fluidity to the camerawork that gives the impression of the whole 90 minutes being filmed in one take. Although not all events unfold in real time, many do and this gives the film a relaxed pace that makes the rushed and dramatic moments truly rather stressful.
I am quite in awe of the symbolism Alfonso Cuaron works into his cinematography. There are many beautiful images that fit perfectly into the story but could represent far more. It is touches such as these that make Gravity more than only an action/adventure/disaster movie.
See this film for a rollicking ride through space, or a pensive consideration of life's difficult questions. You choose.
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