Gravity the movie stuns with digital effects — 4/5stars

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by Samar Malik

Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity truly provides a movie experience unlike any other.

Gravity documents the outer-space escapade of Dr. Ryan Stone and veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky played by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, respectively. During their expedition, the two are caught in a wave of destruction due to fast-moving space debris. The movie follows the two on their quest to stay alive during the 90 minutes before the debris completes its orbit around Earth and impacts them again.

Nothing short of a roller-coaster ride, Gravity delivers the modern sci-fi film promise of stunning visual effects, sending viewers into orbit with its exotic grandeur. The movie explores the frighteningly deep depths of space vicariously through the dreaded human emotions of complete devastation, destruction, and loneliness. Yet, perhaps Cuarón’s greatest feat is capturing space in all its glory and contracting its infinite bounds into something so intimate and relatable.

Viewers can’t help but feel the intensity of each moment or avoid being overcome and consumed by the waves of pure anguish and heartache felt by Stone and Kowalsky as they struggle to survive. Saying the film keeps viewers on the edge of their seats is simply underrating the movie’s thrill factor and ability to accelerate the hearts and breathing rate of its audience.

While the movie lacks extensive character development and background, it certainly compensates for its minimal characterization. The speed at which the movie unfolds amazingly detracts from its minor flaws, hypnotizing viewers with a flurry of seamless digital effects.

Gravity takes viewers as close to being in space as they’ll ever get.

The PG-13 film was released Friday and provides 91 minutes of non-stop thrills and action. Available in 3D and IMAX 3D, the film pulled in over 55 million during its opening weekend according to boxofficemojo.com. It scored a rating of 8.8 on IMDb, 97% on rottentomatoes.com