Unlike most people, I had very low expectations going into Gravity.  After all the rave reviews the movie was getting, I just didn’t get how this film was going to be that great.  The previews don’t give you much, and most of my friends and family seemed to think of the film as comical.  I mean there was actually a struggle to find a guest that would see the film with me!  But I can finally say after watching the movie, my friend and I walked out completely understanding the hype while still trying to breath normally again.

First off, I highly recommend you see this film in 3D.  In fact, I don’t even think it should be offered in 2D.  You will miss out on the feeling and experience director, Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), had intended for the film.  Your brain won’t have to follow a difficult plot, but you are still in for an intense thrill ride.

The story is simple: Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney).  But after an accident leaves them drifting in space, they must work together to survive. The simplicity in Gravity is only one of the things that makes this film so exceptional.  Alfonso Cuarón has taken an original terrifying thought, and turned it into a captivating, 90-minute mission of endurance.  The direction in this film is Oscar worthy!  The fluid motion of the camera as it flows throughout the movie makes you feel as if you are floating.  Visually the film is beautiful, and as you are enjoying the view from space you are still panicking about what is going to happen next.

For anyone who thought Sandra Bullock’s Oscar win for The Blind Side was not deserved, I don’t agree with you…and you should just watch Bullock’s performance in Gravity.  She is really the sole actor of the film.  George Clooney definitely serves a purpose and makes for some relaxing comic relief, but it seems like even he wants to let Bullock steal the show.  The moment she appears on screen you might as well be tethered to that space suit with her.  Whatever fear and anxiety her character is going through, the audience is feeling the exact same way.   Watching her struggle made it physically harder to breathe. Personally, I have always known Sandra Bullock is a great actress; but this role definitely solidifies that.  It’s still too soon to predict Oscar nominations, but I would say that she is a lock for the Best Actress nod along with many more nominations for the film in multiple categories.

The best way to sum up Gravity is “breath-taking!”  The visual effects are the best I have seen in any film.  If you were to tell me they shot the movie in space, I would probably believe it.  For now I will assume that is what spaces looks like.  I guess what makes this film stand apart from movies like Cast Away and 127 Hours is those films had some moments of down time.  There were moments where, even though they were stranded, you knew you could relax for a bit because they had managed to make a livable routine in their misery.  But as this film reminds you in the beginning, life in space is impossible.  You can’t breathe, you can’t take a controlled step, and you could just get lost in space forever until you run out air.

Rated PG-13 for intense images.

Gravity hits theaters everywhere today!