“Gravity”

It’s hard to believe that “Gravity” is coming round to its tenth anniversary, but it is.

Yes, it’s another science fiction film, kind of. It’s certainly a thriller set in space.

Sandra Bullock plays a scientist (Dr Stone) taken into Earth orbit to perform work on a satellite. Unfortunately, the craft she has travelled in gets hit by space debris and she has to find a way home.

The only other person who physically appears in the film is George Clooney, and, not wishing to spoil anything, it’s fair to say he is only in the early bits. Basically, it’s a one woman show.

We saw this at the local IMAX in 3D and it was stunning. Even on bluray it looks good, but obviously, as we often say, this is a big screen experience.

Sandra B has made some terrible films, and some great ones. She seems up for most things, as does George C. Here she is great, and clearly had plenty to endure in the making of the film.

The use of cgi and the methods used to make the film are quite boggling. There is great attention to detail and accuracy, though there are some errors. Buy hey, it’s a film.

The ending is a bit ambiguous. We’re not going to spoil it here, just to say, you can debate it.

Our only problem with the film is the substory about Dr Stone’s lost (ie dead) daughter, which really did not add to the story and was a bit soap-opera-ish. There’s a bit of a religious theme going on too, which is a bit heavy-handed in places.

Other films for your consideration XII

“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is John Hughes’ 1986 ode to Chicago. Ferris and his chums Cameron and Sloane skip off school for a day to enjoy Chicago. If you’ve ever been to Chicago, you will know why.

The day out includes a visit to America’s best art gallery, the Art Institute.

Matthew Broderick as Ferris breaks the fourth wall throughout, even at the end. There’s a line of thought that Ferris does not really exist, he’s just Cameron’s imagination.

Philip Kaufman’s “The Right Stuff” (1983) takes the Tom Wolfe book and makes a good effort at showing the beginning of the USA manned space missions.

There’s a tremendous cast, wonderful music and it’s reasonably accurate, though there are some major flaws. The only criticism is the over-emphasis on Chuck Yeager and his achievements.

The original “Blade Runner” from 1982 was not a great success when it came out, but has become a classic. It has been revisited by director Ridley Scott on many occasions and there are multiple versions available.

The music by Vangelis is superb. Harrison Ford is OK as Decker but many of the supporting cast are excellent, including Rutger Hauer, William Sanderson and Edward James Olmos.

Just avoid the sequel from 2019.