At the start of Alfonso Cuarón’s immersive space set actioner, a caption points out that there is no sound in space, which immediately provokes memories of Alien’s famous tag line. It is strange, therefore, that sounds play such a key role in this film, from Steven Price’s brilliant score to the faint voice of mission control to Sandra Bullock’s character, the rookie Ryan Stone, frantically gasping for breath as she plummets through space.
I think it is those sounds and the amazing visual effects / cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki that draw you into the film and keep you gripped rather than the lauded 3D presentation. Seeing the film in 2D, I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything or my enjoyment was reduced, except for maybe noticing some old school 3D tricks a bit more, such as nuts floating towards the camera or debris flying towards it.
Further reminiscent of Alien, is Bullock’s performance as the determined and ultimately resilient medical engineer, with a direct nod to it in terms of her outfit when she removes her spacesuit. Sandra Bullock is an underrated actress and here she gives her finest screen performance so far, with much of the film concentrating on her alone in space.
That rounds off a remarkable few weeks for performances by actresses after Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine and Dame Judi Dench in Philomena. George Clooney, as veteran Matt Kowalkski, has come in for some criticism for basically playing Danny Ocean in space. However, I also enjoyed his performance, especially in the early stages when he is spacewalking and telling stories.
A couple of weaknesses appear later in the film. Stone’s back-story feels a bit shoehorned in and you would think that after spending weeks together in space, Kowalski would know more about Stone. There is also one clumsy line when Kowalski tells Stone that she has to learn to let go. But, those sort of things are easy enough to ignore when you are enjoying the incredible visual feast and compelling storyline.