“How could anyone make a
90-minute long movie just about someone getting lost in space?” was the first
thing that would come out of the mouths of my friends whenever Alfonso Cuarón’s
latest film, Gravity, would be
brought up. And I must confess I found myself asking the same question. I did this
in spite of my belief that a good movie can be made out of anything with a
proper vision and within the appropriate hands. Adding to my folly was the fact
that I did enjoy the trailers I’d seen for the film. They were intense yet
vague enough to pique my curiosity. And they did their jobs—they got us talking
about the movie. My incredulity was tamed by the high praise of James Cameron,
who called Gravity “the best space
film ever done” (whatever that vague praise means, it’s definitely high praise). Upon watching the movie,
the answer to the aforementioned question is simple: Cuarón did not make a movie just about someone getting lost in space. He made the movie about getting lost in space,
and it was so much more than just that.
