On 'Gravity', The Best Film I Have Ever Seen

One of my favorite feelings in the world is the moment after a film fades to black. After giving the movie total and undisputed attention for its entirety, you sink back in your seat, take a breath, and allow the real world to come back. A decent film ends with a nod of approval and a quick move to the exit, as you talk to your movie-going companions about what you did and didn't like. A really good film might cause you to remain in your seat for some of the credits, leading to more chatter about its merit. A fantastic, truly great film leads to a more intellectual response, as the feelings stay internalized for a time until you can formulate words to say, to give the movie its credit. 

Then there's Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity. A film so mesmerizing, so exhilarating, and so emotional, that there remains nothing to say even after a night of sleep and a morning to think about it. To those reading this blog post, I apologize, because there are truly no words that could give this film its worthwhile credit. As it ended, my three friends and I had nothing to say. We searched for words, but there weren't any. There still aren't, really. To call Gravity a cinematic masterpiece is a vast understatement. Perhaps the best sentence that can encapsulate how momentous this film is is a thought from my friend Jason, who equally shared in the speechlessness until quite a while later: Simply put, films up until now are Pre-Gravity, and everything that comes after will be Post-Gravity.

Of course, hyperbole and big adjectives only go a certain distance in stating greatness. I suppose I'll start with the effects. Cuaron has always had the gift of being able to place the viewer in the environment of his films, perhaps better than any other active director. Watching Children of Men felt like being in that post-apocalyptic London. Prisoner of Azkaban had the most active viewing experience of any of the Harry Potter movies by far. And now, with Gravity, you truly do feel as if you're experiencing space. The camera never stops moving, floating and suspended in zero-gravity. I've never actually flinched at 3-D before, but I did on several occasions here. And active viewing aside - the movie is stunningly beautiful. And even the smallest of details are so exact and precise that the tears and smallest droplets of blood carry a beauty that I don't think I've ever seen on such a small scale. The beauty is one of the most terrifying elements of the film, in fact. Cuaron places us in an undeniably claustrophobic environment in the most open vastness in existence. We experience a struggle for survival in the most visually stunning openness ever seen on film. We can't discuss cinematic beauty without mentioning James Cameron's Avatar - but Gravity's beauty has an incredible realism to it. Pandora doesn't exist, but Gravity's vacuum of space has a sense of believability that one would not expect it to contain.

Another thing Avatar just didn't have was strong acting or a strong story. And in Gravity, both of these elements fully match the wondrous effects. Whereas Avatar was simply created to make us notice what was possible visually, Gravity takes these visuals, adds believability, and contains one of the most emotional journeys I have ever seen on film. Sandra Bullock gives a once-in-a-generation performance, bar none. Truly stunning work through and through. And Clooney shows up playing Clooney in the best way possible. But the bulk of the film is Bullock, and I really can't say enough about how fantastic she is. The score is also one of the most riveting I've ever experienced. It has a heightened importance in the film because of the utter silence of space surrounding it. We either hear silence, the actors, or the score, which matches the intensity and emotion in every way. 

I would say more, but there is really no point in continuing on. Gravity is a momentous achievement and a complete landmark in every sense. I return again to the immediate moment after the movie ends. In this moment, I truly felt privileged to have experienced the previous 88 minutes. I gained an appreciation for my own planet. I cannot recommend a film more, because the wonder contained in Gravity is what makes the movies so great. It truly is the best film that I have ever seen, and I can't wait to see where cinema goes from here.