As you may be aware, I can take or leave 3-D movies but there are times when it really adds to the on-screen imagery resulting in an awe-inspiring moment of magnificence. If ever there was a film made for 3-D it is Gravity. In my opinion the only other films that have really used 3-D to its full potential are ‘Life of Pi’, ‘The Hobbit’ and a old fashioned looking Mickey Mouse short that was showing with the up and coming Disney animation ‘Frozen’ which blew my mind.

Gravity captures your attention right from the very start and as the film progresses you feel as though you are literally being dragged into the action. The special effects have to be admired as you really believe that the actors are floating in space, miles above planet earth.

The film follows a doomed USA shuttle expedition led by veteran commander Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) who is on his last mission accompanied by scientist and rookie astronaut Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock.) While the pair are setting up a scientific experiment outside the shuttle, mission control (voice by Ed Harris) orders the crew to abort as a catastrophe is about to strike in the form of flying space debris.


Their only chance is to reach the safety of the nearby space station before another debris storm is due to pass in about 90 minutes time. Commander Matt sets his watch in readiness for the next debris storm and that’s when you realise that the rest of the movie is going to pass by in real time. That’s pretty much all I can say about this film without giving anything away that you haven’t already seen in the trailers. So you’ll just have to go and watch it yourself.


This is without a doubt Sandra Bullock’s movie. It just goes to show what a versatile actress she is and it’s difficult to believe that she was also involved with the abysmal comedy cop flick ‘The Heat’ also out the same year. The audience are rooting for Ryan all the way and feel her emotions and fear in the eerie silence of outer space. This is helped by the clever special effects that take you from being a spectator to experiencing what she is seeing from her point of view and all in one shot. The director and scriptwriter Alfanso Cuaron gives Sandra Bullock’s astronaut  a nod to the sci-fi movie ‘Alien’ where the main protagonist Ripley is also a strong female character and similar to ‘Alien’ in ‘Gravity’ we also get the money shot with the tiny vest and short shorts scene.


This is a film that is to be experienced and leaves you quite exhausted at the end. Not sure how well the film will translate to DVD or the likes of Netflix without the 3-D  effects. So I suggest you go and support your local cinema.

Four out of five stars

Certificate 12A

In cinemas now.