[Film] Gravity

This year there's been one film that I really wanted to see, and that everyone told me I had to see, that I just haven't been able to. That film is 'Gravity', and yesterday I finally managed to see it thanks to Warwick Arts Centre. They put on a few extra showings as part of their viewer's choice feature, and I gladly took the chance to finally catch the film on the big screen.

The film poster. Don't. Let. Go. (Credit: en.wikipedia.org)

As an astronomer, when the film came out I got asked lots of questions about it, which I sadly had to say I didn't know the answers too because I hadn't seen the film. I can honestly say that at no point did my 'scientist senses' kick in and tell me 'that's stupid, that would never happen'. Admittedly I do a pretty good job normally of suspending my disbelief at the cinema, but with a film like this it is always more difficult. For 'Gravity' though I was actually quite impressed by the attention to detail that had gone into the film. The ISS, Hubble (You maniacs! You blew it up!), and Soyuz were all faithfully recreated, the movement of the astronauts (and debris) was as it should be, the action-reaction problems encountered during spacewalks were accurately portrayed, and the whole thing felt very real.

That feeling of reality was helped immensely by what was one of the highlights of the film for me, and something that I've not heard brought up much in discussion - the sound. I absolutely loved what they did with the sound effects and music in this film. The only sound effects you hear are those that would be transmitted by air, such as the astronauts' breathing. The quality and characteristics of the sounds change too as the point of view of the camera changes, which is some serious attention to detail; for example, early in the film the camera transitions from outside Sandra Bullock's helmet to inside it, and as it does so the sound of her panicked breathing changes from as you would hear it over the radio, to as you would hear it standing next to her. Similarly, at the end of the film she's in a capsule that's filling with water. The camera follows her head up and down, and as she ducks under the water the score becomes muffled, then bursts back to its previous volume as she resurfaces. It's a small thing, but shows the care that's gone into this film and really helps with the immersion.

This is a visually stunning film. Words can't really convey how good it looks - you have to see it to understand what's

been achieved here. (Credit: filmophilia.com)

The visuals are stunning, and for once I was disappointed not to have seen a 3D showing. But even in 2D the sense of remoteness, the sense that this is not somewhere man is designed to be, is palpable. The sight of Earth curving away below the astronauts, with the Sun rising over the limb, rams home the desolate beauty of space. I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the shots turning up in astronomy/astronaut promotional videos in the not too distant future, they're that good. 

My one gripe with the film is the stupidity of the main character. Sandra Bullock does an admirable job of portraying the character, but I just didn't like her. She does so many stupid things, makes so many stupid decisions, that it's immensely frustrating. Ok, so she's had very little training (only 6 months) for the service mission, and has to deal with an immensely stressful, extreme situation, but I just felt like she forgot everything she'd almost certainly been taught. I'm sure I wouldn't do any better in that situation, but still. I suppose it's just another way in which the film strives to be as realistic as possible.

Wow. Just, wow. (Credit: businessinsider.com.au)

In the end, that's why this film works so well. The whole thing is realistic, from the scenario down to the way that events unfold, the sound, the lighting, etc. etc. And because the whole is so realistic, you forget the one or two moments where that reality is slightly stretched for dramatic license. 'Gravity' is a great film, and one that I will picking up on DVD.