Gravity TV Spot Delivers A Familiar Brand Of Intensity

By Nick Venable | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

“At 372 miles above the Earth, the view is breathtaking.” Indeed. As well, almost all of the promotional material gearing audiences up for Alfonso Cuaron’s highly anticipated Gravity has been equally spectacular. Well, not compared to actually being that far above the Earth, but compared to films with smaller scopes. This latest TV spot is no different, although I’m beginning to tire of seeing the same footage in trailer after trailer.

In the film, Sandra Bullock plays medical engineer Ryan Stone and George Clooney plays astronaut Matt Kowalsky, two members of a small space mission whose shuttle is destroyed by rogue space debris. Left all alone up there without any form of communication, they must figure out a way to survive. This will almost definitely be one of the most gorgeous films this year, but we’ve only seen footage from the first twenty or so minutes of the film. It always involves the actual destruction of the ship, along with both stars being thrown around willy-nilly through the vastness of outer space.

But here’s the thing: almost all of the pre-release buzz this film is receiving revolves (or floats) around one of the opening sequences, which is reportedly one single unbroken shot. Now, I’m always astounded when a movie manages to release a trailer that isn’t just a summation of the entire plot, and a little mystery is always welcome, especially in a space-faring sci-fi thriller like this. But nearly everything we’ve seen is limited to footage culled from the extended trailer extended trailer.

I swear I’m not complaining just for the sake of complaining. I’m more eager to see Gravity than nearly any other movie this year, but with so much focus on the opening, you have to wonder if the rest of the film will live up to this level of excitement. Or will the remainder of the movie spool out into a slow string of scenes where Bullock talks to herself and to runs diagnostics tests on malfunctioning electronics. As far as we know, the bulk of the film is supposed to take place outside of the shuttle, in the darkness of space. So there won’t even be any diagnostics tests. I’m guessing the still seen below also takes place in the very beginning of the film.

GravityStill, I’m going to take the tagline’s advice and not let go of my excitement. All worries will either be quelled or fueled once Gravity hits theaters in IMAX and 3D on October 4. Be there or be square, and also stranded.