Gravity
I love science fiction. The rest of my family are not so in love. So when I saw from the "Gravity" trailer that it starred Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, I was intrigued to say the least. And when I heard that the two would be tethered together in space, I figured it had to be break-through in movie watching, at least for my my family.
I was not disappointed. We didn't see it in 3D or Imax3D, but but we still had sense of being on a roller coaster ride in outer space. The movie immediately opens in orbit around earth, with the space shuttle latched onto the Hubble Telescope for maintenance. Bullock's character, medical engineer Dr. Ryan Stone, is perched atop the shuttle's robotic arm making adjustments on the telescope, while Clooney's character, veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski, is testing his maneuvering unit and another crew member is doing a tethered space walk in the shuttle's open bay.
Conversation is jovial as they anticipate completion of their tasks. But the cheer ends when Mission Control warns them that an old Russian satellite has been destroyed, creating a chain of destruction from spreading debris which is heading their way like a speeding bullet. Everyone scrambles to get back to the shuttle, but not in time. A cloud of space debris smashes through the shuttle and telescope, severing the robotic arm, so that it begins spinning uncontrollably with Stone still attached. Kowalski manages to retrieve her with the aid of his maneuvering unit thrusters. But with the shuttle destroyed, they must head for the International Space Station, orbiting about 100 km ahead and either await rescue or use a Soyuz module to return to earth. That doesn't quite work out.
In fact, the movie runs through a series of disasters rendered somewhat believable by the cloud of space debris orbiting every 90 minutes and shredding everything in its path. But the movie is more than just a series of space disasters. It is highly focused, tightly woven tale on the power of gravity.
Gravity is, of course, a physical quality in which objects attract each other, the bigger the more attraction. I couldn't help noticing the various physical, psychological and even spiritual attractions throughout the movie. There is a kind of emotional attraction that draws them to earth and human affection. Kowalski keeps listening the country music, and he frequently talks about stories of ordinary life on earth, demonstrating that emotional gravity. When Stone is rescued by Kowalski she initially clings to him, while later they remain tethered, in mutual need and attraction. There are other evidences throughout the movie of how people are emotionally and spiritually tethered. The other spacewalking crewman had a photo of his family at his work station,. In the Soyuz module we see an Orthodox icon, a stylized religious image that draws viewers toward a spiritual center. Similarly when the final resort turns out to be module docked at the Chinese space station, we glimpse a small Buddha statue, representing the spiritual center and gravity for those who had used it previously.
The subject of gravity weighs heavier toward the end of the movie, but giving the details would make this a spoiler. Suffice it to say that it is a movie that both sci fi and drama lovers should appreciate. We did.
I was not disappointed. We didn't see it in 3D or Imax3D, but but we still had sense of being on a roller coaster ride in outer space. The movie immediately opens in orbit around earth, with the space shuttle latched onto the Hubble Telescope for maintenance. Bullock's character, medical engineer Dr. Ryan Stone, is perched atop the shuttle's robotic arm making adjustments on the telescope, while Clooney's character, veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski, is testing his maneuvering unit and another crew member is doing a tethered space walk in the shuttle's open bay.
Conversation is jovial as they anticipate completion of their tasks. But the cheer ends when Mission Control warns them that an old Russian satellite has been destroyed, creating a chain of destruction from spreading debris which is heading their way like a speeding bullet. Everyone scrambles to get back to the shuttle, but not in time. A cloud of space debris smashes through the shuttle and telescope, severing the robotic arm, so that it begins spinning uncontrollably with Stone still attached. Kowalski manages to retrieve her with the aid of his maneuvering unit thrusters. But with the shuttle destroyed, they must head for the International Space Station, orbiting about 100 km ahead and either await rescue or use a Soyuz module to return to earth. That doesn't quite work out.
In fact, the movie runs through a series of disasters rendered somewhat believable by the cloud of space debris orbiting every 90 minutes and shredding everything in its path. But the movie is more than just a series of space disasters. It is highly focused, tightly woven tale on the power of gravity.
Gravity is, of course, a physical quality in which objects attract each other, the bigger the more attraction. I couldn't help noticing the various physical, psychological and even spiritual attractions throughout the movie. There is a kind of emotional attraction that draws them to earth and human affection. Kowalski keeps listening the country music, and he frequently talks about stories of ordinary life on earth, demonstrating that emotional gravity. When Stone is rescued by Kowalski she initially clings to him, while later they remain tethered, in mutual need and attraction. There are other evidences throughout the movie of how people are emotionally and spiritually tethered. The other spacewalking crewman had a photo of his family at his work station,. In the Soyuz module we see an Orthodox icon, a stylized religious image that draws viewers toward a spiritual center. Similarly when the final resort turns out to be module docked at the Chinese space station, we glimpse a small Buddha statue, representing the spiritual center and gravity for those who had used it previously.
The subject of gravity weighs heavier toward the end of the movie, but giving the details would make this a spoiler. Suffice it to say that it is a movie that both sci fi and drama lovers should appreciate. We did.
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