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Over the weekend, I went to see the new movie Gravity. I paid extra for the 3-D, and it was worth it. I highly, highly recommend you go see this movie on the big screen today.
Having said that, I'll mention my quibbles, which were two. First, the movie's view of orbital mechanics seemed to be "point and go." (Phil Plait has the details.) Second, several of Mission Control's lines (played by Ed Harris of Apollo 13 fame) are phrased in such a way as to clue in the non-technical audience. But those are quibbles and just do not really hurt the movie.
Gravity is first off, visually gorgeous! The visuals of orbit are literally breathtaking, and the first long take is stunning. I also like how the filmmakers use the silence of space to build suspense. Several times during the movie, bad stuff is happening but because the characters are looking away, they don't see it. I also like how the movie refuses to allow the viewer to establish and "up and down" reference. Up and down routinely and radically shift from frame to frame.
The technology is kept realistic. The inside of the ISS is very accurate, and it appears that a lot of the Soyuz / Chinese Soyuz was rendered in great detail. But more importantly, despite a short running time (90 minutes) the characters are well-developed. This is really Sandra Bullock's movie, and she did an outstanding job as an actress.
In short, go see Gravity today!
Having said that, I'll mention my quibbles, which were two. First, the movie's view of orbital mechanics seemed to be "point and go." (Phil Plait has the details.) Second, several of Mission Control's lines (played by Ed Harris of Apollo 13 fame) are phrased in such a way as to clue in the non-technical audience. But those are quibbles and just do not really hurt the movie.
Gravity is first off, visually gorgeous! The visuals of orbit are literally breathtaking, and the first long take is stunning. I also like how the filmmakers use the silence of space to build suspense. Several times during the movie, bad stuff is happening but because the characters are looking away, they don't see it. I also like how the movie refuses to allow the viewer to establish and "up and down" reference. Up and down routinely and radically shift from frame to frame.
The technology is kept realistic. The inside of the ISS is very accurate, and it appears that a lot of the Soyuz / Chinese Soyuz was rendered in great detail. But more importantly, despite a short running time (90 minutes) the characters are well-developed. This is really Sandra Bullock's movie, and she did an outstanding job as an actress.
In short, go see Gravity today!
