This Review comes from the Mr Movies himself Movie Rob, Remember if you want to join in, let me know.
“Listen, do you wanna go back, or do you wanna stay here? I get it. It’s nice up here. You can just shut down all the systems, turn out all the lights, and just close your eyes and tune out everyone. There’s nobody up here that can hurt you. It’s safe. I mean, what’s the point of going on? What’s the point of living? Your kid died. Doesn’t get any rougher than that. But still, it’s a matter of what you do now. If you decide to go, then you gotta just get on with it. Sit back, enjoy the ride. You gotta plant both your feet on the ground and start livin’ life. Hey, Ryan? It’s time to go home. ” – Matt
Number of Times Seen – 5 (9 Dec 2013, 11 Dec 2013, 2 Feb 2014, 28 Sep 2014, 25 Mar 2015 and 5 Aug 2018)
Link to original review – Here, here, here, here and Here
Brief Synopsis – After a mishap in space, two astronauts get stranded and must find a way to get back home safely.
My Take on it – This is an amazing film which takes the concept of characters shipwrecked on a deserted island and transplants them to space in order to “modernize” the idea.
The story is extremely gripping and thrilling and they manage to keep the level of suspense high the entire time.
The fact that the film is mostly done with just two characters throughout a majority of the story allows us to really feel the impressive performances of both Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.
Each of them help keep the story engaging the entire time through their actions and dialog.
This film was very deserving of it’s 7 Oscars in technical categories because it is able to create such a realistic story in the vacuum of space.
Director Alfonso Cuaron does an exceptional job directing this film by piecing together so many elements of a story that on the surface seems very simplistic but since it’s layered, it is actually quite complex.
Cuaron won an Oscar for Best Director yet the film failed to win est Picture that year which went to 12 Years a Slave (2013).
Both films are extremely diverse and it’s hard deciding which one is better but tis one manages to get so much more right that for me, it’s a simple choice.
Bottom Line – Amazing film that is able to recreate a modern “shipwreck” situation in space. The story is quite gripping the entire time and the fact that only two characters appear throughout most of the film, we get to actually feel these impressive performances by both Clooney and Bullock who manage to keep things engaging the whole time. This film is a technical wonder and there is no doubt that it deserved all 7 of its technical Oscars while creating an amazing story in space. Cuaron does a superb job directing this film as he pieced together all elements of this seemingly simple story but it is so layered and complex throughout. Not an easy choice between this and 12 Years a Slave (2013) because they are so very different films, but this one is the better of the two. Highly Highly Recommended!
MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The film’s cascade of debris is a very real possibility. This scenario is known as the Kessler syndrome, named after N.A.S.A. scientist Donald J. Kessler who first proposed the theory in 1978. A cascading Kessler syndrome involving an object the size of the International Space Station would trigger a catastrophic chain-reaction of debris. The orbiting debris field would make it impossible to launch space exploration missions or satellites for many decades. (From IMDB)
Rating – Oscar Worthy (10/10) (no change from original review)
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