And then there were two...

Film Review: Gravity(12a)
Running time 91 minutes
Rating:*****
Rather than waste time with unnecessary introductions and lead-ins, let’s say from the outset that Gravity 3D as a visual experience is quite, quite astonishing.
The idea of setting a Cast Away-type film in space, with tiny human figures battling against the vastness of universal problems and accidents is not unique, after all director Stanley Kubrick did something like it in 2001.
However, whereas Kubrick had to use models and cameras running continuously at high speed to capture the seamless movement of space, Gravity has the advantage of computer-generated images.
And boy, how they’ve used it to portray the story of a space shuttle caught up in a shower of debris that rips the craft apart and kills all but two of the crew.
Sandra Bullock plays Dr Ryan Stone, marooned along with space veteran Matt Kowalski (George Clooney).
Their job is to survive against all the odds in an environment that can kill you in the blink of an eye.
Written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men, Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban), the two survivors use all their brains and courage to make their way to the nearby International Space Station, but one makes a terrible sacrifice to enable the other to survive, although it seems that for both only death is a certainty.
With only two actors appearing on screen (others appear as dead bodies or disembodied voices), the majority of the $100 million cost of Gravity went on CGI and technical stuff – most of which was gratifyingly handled in London.
Bullock, after a series of lame duck, hardly-comic movie roles, comes good in Gravity and shows she has been treading water for a while. It’s nice to see actors doing their very best for the audience.
George of course, gives his usual smooth-as-silk performance, but graciously allows Bullock to take centre stage.
However, it is the visuals that are the star. In some CGI films where money has been shaved from production costs, you can see the joins and the effects are patently created.
In Gravity, it is as if you were there in space with them – it’s that convincing and therefore, totally absorbing. The 91 minutes passed in a flash and it was top class stuff. Well done all.