Gravity - Alfonso Cuaron film

[Lord Camomile]

Caught it this morning; will probably post more after reading the thread but the basic summary is I enjoyed the first half, thought the second half was a series of concessions to mainstream audiences which set about undermining any potential set up in the first half.

 

[_pH_]

Just seen it in 3D at the IMAX (HUGE thanks to Mapped for the ticket!) - really stunning! Some of the scenes showing Earth from space were jaw-droppingly beautiful. OK, you have to ignore the fact that the plot is somewhat implausible, but it's a film, that's allowed. But the effects were superb and there were plenty of moments that gave me sweaty palms.

Would love to see it again at the IMAX before it finishes.

 

[Meh O'Naise]

Be quick then, it seems a lot of IMAX screens are pulling it this thursday to stick on the next Hunger Games movie. FFS.

Saw it today on the biggest screen I could find - 71ftx40ft with 4k projectors in 3D - stunning. Simply amazing visuals. Will fit in a 2D screening also before it comes off, to contrast and compare. If this doesn't win a swathe of Technical oscars, - ie Visual Effects, Sound Editing - I'll be amazed.

 

[DexterTCN]

...If this doesn't win a swathe of Technical oscars, - ie Visual Effects, Sound Editing - I'll be amazed.

Those two, seriously.

 

[bi0boy]

No IMAX here and Clooney makes me feel ill so I'm giving this a miss.

 

[ChrisD]

I dislike clooney and 3D......but really enjoyed the film. Didn't notice the corny script / plot.
Def one to see in 3D. I felt quite tense through a lot of it. Not sure that's enjoyable but quite an experience.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Be quick then, it seems a lot of IMAX screens are pulling it this thursday to stick on the next Hunger Games movie. FFS.

I haven't had to book at the Waterloo IMAX since they let Odeon take over. Used to be that big releases - Dark Knight/Returns, Avatar, etc - you could book weeks in advance, but Gravity you can only book to next week. Means you can't book well and make sure you get the seats you want, even if you have to wait a while for them.

 

[Meh O'Naise]

I haven't had to book at the Waterloo IMAX since they let Odeon take over. Used to be that big releases - Dark Knight/Returns, Avatar, etc - you could book weeks in advance, but Gravity you can only book to next week. Means you can't book well and make sure you get the seats you want, even if you have to wait a while for them.

Problem with IMAX, is a lot of IMAX screens aren't as big as you think. Just because it's got IMAX on it, doesn't mean it is. Try to find the largest screen you can, and its' well worth seeing in 3D, imax or not. Its just that Hunger Games will hoover up the IMAX screens shortly, sadly.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Problem with IMAX, is a lot of IMAX screens aren't as big as you think. Just because it's got IMAX on it, doesn't mean it is. Try to find the largest screen you can, and its' well worth seeing in 3D, imax or not. Its just that Hunger Games will hoover up the IMAX screens shortly, sadly.

Oh I know, I'm not going to the Enfield 'IMAX' ( ) - the Waterloo IMAX is definitely 'proper' IMAX

But aye, Hunger Games looks like it's moving in. They'll probably re-run it at some point I would think.

 

[editor]

There's a good interview with the director in this month's Wired magazine. He won't be making another space film

 

[Mation]

Going to see it tonight. Excited!

 

[editor]

Spoiler

Here's a companion video to the film that wasn't shown in the movie. It contains spoilers so don't watch it if you haven't seen the film!
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplayl...vity-spin-off-short-aningaaq-in-full-20131120

 

[Mation]

Thoroughly enjoyed it, implausible though it was It looked beautiful and there was a point to the 3D. It made me gasp and ooh and ah and wince - not just at the script. Was the right length. Yeah

 

[King Biscuit Time]

Astonishing film. I echo what everyone has said about the stunning visuals and truly immersive 3d. And the cheesy script. Frankly I could have done without the last 3 minutes.

The score was excellent too. Helped build a real feeling of menace. If I was doing some film studies coursework I would say that the main theme is that of attachment. What to hold on to, what to let go off, and how you use that to end up where you want to be.

 

[Meh O'Naise]

Astonishing film. I echo what everyone has said about the stunning visuals and truly immersive 3d. And the cheesy script. Frankly I could have done without the last 3 minutes.

Interesting interview with Cuaron on the Kermode podcast, btw. he talks a lot about the themes, and the themes of the movie can be interpreted a number of ways. For example, there's a scene about two thirds in which opens up a number of interpretations as to what is real, and what is merely perceived.

The last 3 minutes make a lot of sense, in terms of the opening up of interpretations.

Spoiler

In the Chinese Space station, she decides to vent the oxygen, and choose to die at a time of her own choosing. Then, Buzz Lightyear George Clooney reappears, opens the hatch, let himself in, and gives her a peptalk. He then disappears.

It is clear it is a hallucination, caused by oxygen deprivation. Then she comes back to earth through the soyuz-style chinese pod re-entry, lands in a lake, and swims to shore.

some people think instead, everything after her hallucination is her journey to the afterlife. She dies, goes through purgatory (ie fire), and then is reborn in heaven (with the landing in the lake being indicative of the River Styx). There is no contact with anyone else ie Houston, other astronauts, anyone - after this point in the film, so there is no evidence to support whether or not she is actually on Earth, or if it figurative.

The lake she lands in is Lake Powell in Arizona, which is where the spacecraft in Planet Of The apes lands. You might consider this a clue. Is it a rebirth or a different, imagined Earth? (Like the bit in Solaris (Clooney) where he talks about being back on Earth but "remembering it wrong")

You can interpret it anyway you like. Not saying I agree with it though...


As for it being implausible -
i) The mission number is given as STS-157 (actual shuttle missions finished at STS-132)
ii) The space Shuttle is called the Explorer (not a real shuttle name)
iii) One of the space stations seen isn't scheduled to be finished until 2022.
iv)Differing orbits of space stations and space debris mean no, it couldn't happen as it is presented in the film.
v)The JetPac that Clooney uses is no longer in use and doesn't have the same fuel capacity as shown in the film.
vi)Debris would have been travelling at 6miles per second. You would never even see it, it would just rip through you in a nanosecond.

But...It's not a documentary. It needs to work dramatically, and that means bending the truth sometimes. its' like nitpicking a civil war film for putting the buttons on the wrong sides of the tunics. You know, its as close to reality as you could expect within the confines of a fictional narrative. If the film was truly, truly authentic, it would have been very short - ie about 15 minutes long before dying due to lack of oxygen.

I don't know how they filmed it so cheap and all, what with actually having to go up to space to film it. (Yes, its that convincing)

 

[Cloo]

Thoroughly enjoyed it, implausible though it was It looked beautiful and there was a point to the 3D. It made me gasp and ooh and ah and wince - not just at the script. Was the right length. Yeah

Yeah, it was the first time 3D has ever actually made me flinch! In fact the first time I've seen a 3D film where it has any impact at all.

 

[SpookyFrank]

The sound design was some of the best I've ever encountered as well I think.

 

[bi0boy]

But...It's not a documentary. It needs to work dramatically, and that means bending the truth sometimes. its' like nitpicking a civil war film for putting the buttons on the wrong sides of the tunics. You know, its as close to reality as you could expect within the confines of a fictional narrative.

It sounds like more than nitpicking to me

This is what Peter F Hamilton had to say about it:

Just been to see Gravity.
Excellently realised space hardware. Great acting. High tension throughout. The feeling of the loneliness and grandeur from being in space was intense. And absolutely no understanding of orbital mechanics whatsoever. I mean less than zilch. A real shame for nerds like me, because that's what I'll always remember. But I still enjoyed it. Sort of.

 

[Crispy]

Yeah, orbital mechanics was completely ignored, but conservation of momentum (linear and angular) was faultless, IMO.

 

[Stigmata]

As a film about what it would feel like to be an astronaut, it's unsurpassed. I hope it sets a new standard for space films

 

[Jeff Robinson]

The more time that has passed since I've seen this film, the more I'm becoming indifferent to it. There are some films that really stick with you, and there are others that actually grow on you. This is not one of them. It would be a shit DVD to own.

Spoiler

Also, the more I think about how annoying George Clooney's character was, the more glad I am that he died.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

As a film about what it would feel like to be an astronaut, it's unsurpassed. I hope it sets a new standard for space films

Agreed. Hope we see more science fiction that isn't just shooting stuff like Moon etc as a result of this.

 

[DrRingDing]

Clooney was shite.

NASA does not have regulation hot pants.

Russians have vodka on their station.

Chinese grow rice on theirs.

Apart from that and the daft story I enjoyed it.

Best use of 3D I've seen.

 

[belboid]

Yeah, orbital mechanics was completely ignored, but conservation of momentum (linear and angular) was faultless, IMO.

It wasn't. Bullock slowed down whilst spinning off, which should be impossible. Minor detail tho

 

[Ich bin ein Mod]

Saw this last night at the IMAX and was blown away. Yes, there's a lot to be nit-picky about, but do you know what, it's a film. And I am one of those geeks who cares about that kind of stuff, I'm paid to. Fuck it though, visually outstanding and it kept me gripped for the 90 minutes. Kudos for not cutting to flashbacks or mission control and instead making a film about space that's actually about space as someone said earlier in the thread.

 

[Crispy]

It wasn't. Bullock slowed down whilst spinning off, which should be impossible. Minor detail tho

damn. Although she did start out with chaotic multiple axis rotation, which ended up being converted to end over end rotation, which *is* accurate motion.

 

[TitanSound]

I finally saw this last night. Mind. Blown.

 

[Bigfoot]

I was really excited about it but I thought it was just another special effects movie. Two stars have to survive a brilliant special effect, and they do, and become more famous

 

[sim667]

My students have all told me its boring..... I think they're just uninformed.

Its only available in 3d right?

 

[TitanSound]

I wouldn't say it's boring. It's just not a conventional film. It's incredibly effects heavy, but it has to be. I liken it to a director finding a terrible b-movie type script and making a pitch based on only having two actors and therefore a fucking huge effects budget.