Though it may not appeal to the average mainstream moviegoer, Alfonso Cuarón‘s Gravity is right up there on my most anticipated 2012 films list, and for good reason.
If you’ve seen Children of Men, you’ll know what kind of talent the man possesses. From a technical standpoint, the film is extremely impressive. It also happens to be a pretty damn good movie overall.
Aside from that though, the director is also responsible for some other excellent titles. His Harry Potter entry, Prisoner of Azkaban, is one of the series’ best outings and his 2001 hit Y tu mama tambien is also an outstanding film.
So, it’s with good reason that I’m excited for the director’s next project, Gravity. The film has struggled with a bit of “development hell” but now it seems as if things are rolling along quite smoothly.
Sandra Bullock is starring in the ambitious sci-fi project and she’ll play “the lone survivor of a space mission, who is trying to steer her ship home to Earth, where her daughter awaits.”
Early screenings for the film were held recently and people are starting to speak out about it, here’s what they had to say.
A source for AICN claims the following:
This is not just next level shit, this is several levels ahead of next level shit, & quite possibly the highest level shit you could possibly make. This is like if Avatar had been released in 1927 a week after The Jazz Singer. People won’t know how to comprehend what they are seeing. In short, Gravity genuinely makes you feel like you have been to space. It really, really does. And guess what? It’s beautiful, and awe-inspiring, and profound (and a little scary too), everything you thought it would be since you first thought about going to space when you were a kid. The movie exploits dreams it knows every sentient being has had, using the best special effects I have personally ever seen. I honestly don’t know how you could enhance a cinematic experience more. I kept waiting for a cameo from the Tupac hologram.
However, some people might end up saying that Gravity ends up being too light on story & is just an expensive space roller coaster ride, ‘Space Mountain: The Movie’ if you will. But those people would be wrong, stupid & ungrateful. Gravity is an important & subtle character study wrapped up in the guise of the most technologically advanced film of the new millennium… To me the film is about apathy and isolation. It’s about people today not knowing why they should be excited about living but only knowing they don’t want to die. It’s about looking at your own insignificance in the universe (or on Earth, or at your job, or at your school, etc.) & becoming empowered by it instead of defeated. And most of all, it’s about seeing what it would be like to float through space like an astronaut (spoiler: it’s fun).
The Film Experience says that they have a source who tells them that:
Gravity is Cuarón’s masterpiece. It’s gonna be divided. Half will think it’s a self-indulgent borefest and half will think it’s amazingly brilliant. The movie is 80% just Sandra Bullock!
Finally, two reactions from Twitter:
Briana Hernandez – Worst movie ever! #gravity
David Vendrell – Went to a test-screening for “Gravity” last night…it was far from being done, but it will be a visual feast when it is…and nothing more.
All things considered, I’m pretty excited for this one. We’ve been hearing for a while that Gravity will feature a number of technically impressive sequences, just like Children of Men did. In fact, there’s a rumor that the opening scene will be a 17 minute shot. So, if you thought Children of Men boasted some jaw-dropping technical feats then just wait, you haven’t seen anything yet.
In terms of the early impressions, I like how the reactions are split. It reminds me of the Tree Of Life situation, where some critics called it a masterpiece and others called it the worst film of the decade. It’s always nice to get a controversial film that splits people right down the middle, it makes things more interesting. I’m hoping Gravity does the same thing and judging by what we know so far, I think it will.
Gravity is set to hit theatres on November 21st, 2012.