“Life in space is impossible.”
Before we even hear a word from Alfonso Cuaron’s staggering Gravity, a thin line of text already tells us everything that’s going to happen within its slim, unrelenting ninety-minute runtime. Life in space is impossible. But is survival possible?
It’s a normal day for the Explorer team, one that sees Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) working on his space walk time (he’s eager to break a previously-established record by another astronaut) while Shariff (Paul Sharma) tinkers outside the station and Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) attempts to repair some malfunctioning equipment so they can finish the upgrade they are tasked with completing.
Things are relatively peaceful, the only hitch in an otherwise unremarkable excursion being Dr. Stone’s jumping stomach and her frustration at getting her work done – until the formerly relaxed Houston team suddenly demands an emergency evacuation. Not just for the three space walkers to go inside the station, but for them to get the hell out of their general location.
A Russian satellite has exploded and its debris (moving around Earth at a pace faster than a speeding bullet) has begun knocking off other satellites, setting off a chain reaction of zinging space shrapnel that won’t just bust open a spacesuit, but an entire space station.
The evacuation doesn’t happen.
One of the common misconceptions about Gravity has long held that the film features Bullock free-floating in space for most of its runtime – that’s not what happens here, and that’s something to be thankful for, because when Ryan is floating without tether for an extended white-knuckle sequence, it’s almost too much. An entire film of just that could likely kill a person.
Clipped off her workstation from that nefarious debris, Stone zings out into space while the rest of her station is turned into the metallic equivalent of Swiss cheese, rendering the billion-dollar space into nothing more than a big tin can (a breathtakingly made big tin can, however).
Her subsequent out of control spinning is inventively and seamlessly illustrated by way of constantly changing angles and perspectives, though shots from inside her helmet are undoubtedly the most effective.
The unmitigated terror that Ryan feels as she hurdles away from the station and any chance of salvation is somehow beyond palatable – it’s consuming. Bullock does some of her best work in the film early on, and that she’s able to convey a wide range of emotions and thought processes by way of labored breathing and stunned eyes.
Clooney costars alongside Bullock as head astronaut and mission leader Matt Kowalsky, an apparently beloved member of the NASA family and one hell of a good time guy (yes, the role is a very good fit for the charming actor). A crack storyteller, Matt regales both his mission-mates in space and the team down on Earth with tall tales most of them have heard before, but when things start to get serious, Matt is all business and efficiency.
As uncomfortable as Dr. Stone is in space, Kowalsky seems to revel in it – he loves it up there, and both his training and his affection for his profession make him uniquely qualified to aid in bringing Dr. Stone back down to Earth (both literally and metaphorically), at least for awhile.
Gravity moves swiftly (a bit like an untethered astronaut whizzing through space, honestly), and while its plot isn’t the high concept “just one person in space!” affair many people might be expecting, it’s still an utterly enthralling and consuming cinematic experience that has to be seen to be believed.
A marvel of technical filmmaking, there is not one crafted element of the film that doesn’t contribute to its overall jaw-dropping, eye-popping appeal. Space has never looked so beautiful, so terrifying, and so clear as it does here, and both Cuaron and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki should be credited with creating instantly iconic shots and compositions that will forever be hailed as essential additions to space-set filmmaking.
Gravity looks simply breathtaking, a typically hyperbolic term that is the only appropriate description of how the film both appears and feels. With the current trend towards 3D filmmaking continuing unabated despite audience fatigue, Gravity is one of the few modern blockbusters that is best experienced with the added dimension (and if you can get it in IMAX, all the better). The film is an entirely immersive experience, and consuming it in the best (and biggest) circumstances isn’t just highly recommended, it’s nearly essential.
Sonically, Gravity also sounds incredible and like little else that has ever been put on the screen. A flawless sound design and Steven Price’s gorgeous and terrifying score only tie up the film’s peerless technical package. Sure, in space no one can hear you scream, and they’ll also barely be able to hear you gasp your way through Cuaron’s major achievement in technical filmmaking.
The Upside: An absolute technical marvel in every way possible – from cinematography to special effects to sound design to score, all of Gravity’s technical parts work together in perfect harmony for maximum effectiveness when it comes to both the look and the feel of the film.
The Downside: Bullock and Clooney both turn in solid performances, but their failure to truly transcend keep the film from reaching perfection. In any other film, however, their performances would be far from a liability. As is, “not quite transcendent performances” isn’t a bad problem for any film to have.
On the Side: Angelina Jolie was the original first choice for the lead role. Natalie Portman was the second choice after Jolie turned the part down, but she too had to pass on the role.
外太空相關單字：
1.gravity
n.[U]
【物】重力; 引力; 地心吸力
The stone rolled down the hill by gravity . 石頭在重力作用下向山下滾去。
重(量)
嚴重性; 危險性; 重大
She does not know the gravity of her illness . 她不知道自己病情嚴重。
嚴肅; 莊嚴; 認真
He could hardly keep his gravity . 他忍不住要笑出來。
低沈
2.NASA
abbr. 縮寫
= National Aeronautics and Space Administration【美】美國國家航空航天局, 美國宇航局, 美國太空總署 (是美國負責國家太空計劃的一個政府部門)
= North American Saxophone Alliance 北美薩克斯風聯盟
3.outer space
外太空
4.astronaut
太空人
5.universe
n. 名詞
(常大寫)宇宙; 天地萬物[the S]
At that time people believed the earth was the center of the universe . 當時人們相信地球是宇宙的中心。
全世界; 全人類[the S]
That is the most wicked place in the universe . 那是世界上最最邪惡的地方。
領域, 範圍[C]
6.Astronomy
宇宙學
7.an aircraft carrier
航空母艦
地心引力由珊卓布拉克（《攻其不備》、《愛情限時簽》）和喬治克隆尼（《型男飛行日誌》、《諜對諜》）兩大奧斯卡獎得主領銜主演，奧斯卡獎提名導演艾方索柯朗（《哈利波特：阿茲卡班的逃犯》）執導。這部驚心動魄的驚悚片會把你拉進無限又無情的太空深處。
蕾恩史東博士（珊卓布拉克 飾）是一名傑出的醫學工程師，這是她第一次執行太空任務；資深太空人麥特科沃斯基（喬治克隆尼 飾）與她同行，這是他退休前最後一次指揮太空飛行。很不幸地，在一場看似簡單的例行太空漫步中，災難發生了，太空梭全毀，使得萊安和麥特兩人突然變得孤立無援，他們只能繫住彼此，不斷被捲入黑暗之中。
周遭的一片死寂表示他們已失去跟地球的任何聯繫，同時也失去獲救的任何機會。隨著每次呼吸都一再吞噬所剩不多的氧氣，他們的恐懼也逐漸轉為恐慌。
然而，他們回家的唯一途徑可能是繼續深入浩瀚無際的可怕太空。
參考資料：
官方網站
http://gravitymovie.warnerbros.com/#/gallery
電影網
http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/reviews/gravity-review.php
YAHOO字典
http://tw.dictionary.yahoo.com/
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