Alfonso Cuaron’s “Gravity” is a superb film combining a well-written story with great acting, sound design and cinematography. The film stars Sandra Bullock (Ryan Stone) and George Clooney (Matt Kowalski): two astronauts sent out to space on a shuttle. As they’re preparing their shuttle to return to Earth, Houston informs them of a Russian missile strike on a defunct satellite that could harm their return.

The reason why they’re in space is murky, allowing the movie to focus on the actual story. I won’t dwell on the plot any further as the movie is best experienced blind. Even the marketing for the film showed nothing aside from astronauts stranded in space.

The film is slow and never jumps between scenes, but it manages to remain more action-packed than say, a Michael Bay film with explosions appearing at least three times every minute. The film is only 90 minutes long, and the action is so intense that it feels even shorter.

One of the best factors of the film is the acting, which is done so well that when you stare at the characters on screen you don’t see Clooney and Bullock – you see Stone and Kowalski. The writing is incredibly precise and the dialogue is realistic. You can share the characters’ emotions throughout the story.

Another incredible detail that Gravity gets right is the sound design. Most films need to use ambient music to immerse the viewer. This film has no music at all, thanks to the extremely precise and detailed sound effects.

The film’s visual effects are arguably the best in any film ever. Most would disagree, listing the Hobbit as a film with better effects; however, Gravity’s effects never have that “fake” feel that movies like the Hobbit have. Nearly the whole film is done with CGI but it’s never noticeable.

Gravity is an extremely immersive and memorable film that won’t be forgotten for a long time. Reviewers will compare it to other movies as a bar to be reached.

The Verdict:

Sound – 10/10: Incredibly detailed and precise, you can hear hundreds of things going on at once

Effects – 10/10: Extremely well done, the effects all feel “real” throughout the film

Story – 9.5/10: Some minor aspects of the story feel cliche, aside from that there are no noticeable problems

Dialogue – 9.5/10: The dialogue is very believable, however Clooney’s character has some flaws

Acting – 10/10: The acting never falls short and the actors fit the roles incredibly well

Final score – 9.5: Gravity is a film anyone can enjoy (unless you get PTSD from some of the blood-chilling scenes or you’re Neil DeGrasse Tyson). The best part of the film isn’t the incredible writing nor the visual effects, but instead how involved you become in the movie. It’ll be remembered alongside Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

(Pictured: One of Tyson’s tweets after seeing the film)

(Marquee image source: WarnerBros.)