Review: Gravity

With Gravity Alfonso Cuaron has perfectly formed a 90minute epic which will go down as not only the best film of 2013 but probably the best horror film - certainly the most terrifying - that has been released for many years.

From the opening vista over earth to the final denouement want everybody in the audience gasped with relief along with the central character, the film is a thrill ride which does not let up. Just when you think the characters may finally escape their fate one more obstacle is stuck in their way.

Sandra Bullock gives the performance of a lifetime as Dr Ryan Stone, and it is a character sure to earn her plaudits come Oscar season. Her fear is genuinely palpable, and as has already been intimated: you genuinely find yourself holding your breath along with her as the oxygen tank begins to run low. 

You are so enthralled by her situation that you cannot help but be swept up into her reality, and this is where the IMAX 3D really comes into it's own. The blank expanse of space is perfectly realised, and as you see each of the characters drift through it, the camera constantly moving along with them, you feel like you are the final astronaut, lost along with them in the never ending dark.

Much has been said and written about Cuaron practically inventing his own camera rig to allow the free form camera movements, and it must be said that this pays off completely. You truly have that feeling of drifting in an antigravity environment, and the idea that this was created in a studio shows an amazing technological advancement.

Between Bullock and Clooney's superb performances we see humanity take a deep look into the void and abyss, as we realise our own mortality and look to defend it no matter what adversity comes our way.

For what was a completely packed out 500 seat auditorium there was not a mobile phone or even hardly so much as a popcorn rustle for the duration, as everyone sat rapt at the images and the sounds coming for the screen.

Lastly let it be said: Cuaron understands the power of silence, and it is in the moments of complete mute that the audience and the characters can reflect and allow the horror of the situation to wash over them.

I cannot recommend this film highly enough, and I really implore anyone who can to see this movie in IMAX as the truly superior visuals and sound were practically invented for this film.