I first saw the multi award
winning Gravity in November last year
during my non writing phase but it’s a film that I felt I needed to see again. Gravity is a game changer as far as
visual effects are concerned and it appears to have re-written the rule book
for films set in space. So over two months and $675 million at the box office after
its initial release, I was able to take in the film’s awesome effects once more
in stunning 3D. I’ll be honest, I never expected to use the words ‘stunning’
and ‘3D’ in the same sentence but Gravity
is the first film I’ve seen for which 3D was the right choice and actually
added something to the movie.
Rather than working on a two
dimensional plane as most films do, Gravity
has a full 360 degree scope to work within. The camera is able to, and expected
to move around the entire scene, not limited by space or ironically gravity.
The use of 3D is completely justified and adds immeasurably to the feeling of
floating as well as helps to place the film in its environment. The opening
scene of an astronaut moving around a shuttle with wanton ease is spectacular
and things only get better from there. Thousands if not millions of tiny pieces
of satellite erupt in a magnificent burst high above the earth and set off
complex chain reactions which are visually stunning as well as incredibly
frightening.