JONATHAN'S 'GRAVITY' BLU-RAY REVIEW

Hello Gang! Jonathan here with my first official Blu-ray review for you all. The first one on the list is non other than 'Gravity' directed by Alfonso Cuaron and starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. I remember having seeing this in the theaters in IMAX 3D and being blown away but the amazing technology and how the story was told through visuals and sounds. The film is very strong in those two regards as film is a visual medium and it is all about showing and moving the story forward. This review is a reflection of my thoughts and ideas about the motion picture and do not reflect as a whole any of my fellow affiliates.


Now keep in mind, I have heard mixed reviews about this film from critics, some love it and some hated and thought it was nothing more than a special effects movie and had no plot whatsoever. I am one of the individuals who saw this film and had a great time and simply had nothing but high praise for the leaps and bounds that were accomplished by this film. The cinematography was brilliant in how it merged both the live-action and the CGI (Computer Generated Images) together as one cohesive image. The cinematography in the opening shot of the film was just eye-popping as there is so much to feast your eyes off of from seeing Earth in the background and the sound effects and the ship moving forward in the foreground of the frame. There is so much that can be discussed about this film beyond its' surface but for the sake of not spoiling this film for anyone who has not seen this film, I will remain mum on specific subjects.

THE BLU-RAY - FEATURE PRESENTATION AND SOUND QUALITY

The 1080p High Definition transfer rate is marvelous. Everything single frame is gorgeous and it holds up to the last second of the film into the credits. The soundtrack is still powerful as well and it holds up on the same level of quality as it was in the IMAX 3D experience save for the large silver screen and the speakers in the theater. When the chaos begins as it did in the trailer is still gripping and you find yourself on the edge of your seat or bed when watching this film in total darkness and the sound is up high. Totally nerve-wrecking like it  was in the theater.

I do not have the 3D version of the blu-ray because I do not own a 3D television but it is definitely something that I would purchase for the 3D experience again. That was something that was worth seeing in 3D, and was one of the best post-converted 3D films that I've seen in the past couple of years. The technical aspects of this motion picture are just impressive beyond belief especially after watching the behind the scenes featurettes on the film. There was a lot of work that went into making this motion picture a reality. Four years worth of hard work from doing research on space travel, micro-gravity, cinematography and computer graphics, all culminating into the feature that was released in theaters this past October 2013.

The cool aspect that gets me every time about this film is that has very little to no dialogue in the film. As I said before in the previous paragraphs, this is a visual story and there are many themes and metaphors that are explored throughout the running time but for the most part, there is not a lot of dialogue. The times that the characters are speaking holds a lot of weight and drives home the message that it needs and sells the character driven plots. Sandra Bullock as the character of Ryan Stone is extremely powerful in her performance as she carries the weight of the film alongside George Clooney as Kuwalski. The two truly do their jobs as being believable astronauts and you suspend your disbelief almost instantly.

THIS IS NOT JUST A MOTION PICTURE. IT IS ART AND ART IS SUBJECTIVE.

The one thing that can be taken away about 'Gravity' is that it is a subjective. 'Gravity' is my honest opinion a work of art. And this is the part of the review where I talk about the divide in opinions about the film. Because in my honest opinion, art by definition is subjective, and with it being subjective there is no right or wrong in it. We live in a time where anyone can creative a blog or a youtube account and post their opinions and speak harshly and negatively about any topic that is online from a motion picture, a song or viral video, political figures to events that are happening around the world. This is not just limited to 'Gravity' but to a variety of topics as a whole, but for the purpose of this review, I am focusing on 'Gravity.'

A lot of people have in their minds what a good film is and have their own sets of standards and rules that they judge a film by in order to determine if it is worth their time and money. Most motion pictures that are more aesthetic than traditional are often viewed negative because people are not used to the non-traditional standards with which the story is told. Sometimes people want things spelled out for them. Others prefer to go into a movie as a form of escapism and not want to have to contemplate the various themes of a movie and the meanings the layered within a film that are left open for any form of interpretation. Some moviegoers want nothing more than to be entertained can could care less about anything art or cinematography or acting talent doing a great performance at all.

There are so many levels and different kind of moviegoers and movie watchers. In this, 'Gravity' is very polarized, in there people who love it and people do not and find it to be effects heavy and bored by the lack of dialogue. But this is my take on this subject. Every single person has the right to voice his or her own opinion on what they enjoy or choice to watch or not watch. But when you look at any form of art, it is subjective and in that there is no real way of judging it. Not every motion picture that comes out fits into a category as to being considered art, but then again, who am I to say? One film I may overlook can be considered art to someone else and vice versa, and therein lies my point, no one can really point the finger and say that one film is bad and yet the film he or she may enjoy is good, because art and opinions are completely subject.

This is beauty of visual media, people come together in a room and look at a film or a photography or a sculpture and each and every person has a different view and/or opinion about what they saw or felt when looking at that form of visual art. The other film that comes to mind when I think about it being a form of motion picture / art is 'Cloud Atlas' which is very layered and polarizing for those who have seen it. 'Gravity' sets the same tone for number of people who have seen it. I can personally say that I enjoyed it and see the Blu-ray last night and looking at the special features, especially the sound design and musical score was an experience to see the various steps and processes that we used to mix the sound for the film. Seeing the actual filming take place for one of the scenes involving fire was another very unique experience in watching the entire crew use practical effects with lighting that would be later removed for special effects in post was very brilliant. Seeing Sandra Bullock ask questions in between takes on the film and asking Alfonso Cuaron for input on specifics showed that there was a lot of hard work that went into this production and everyone was striving to create something special.

In conclusion, I think that 'Gravity' was an amazing experience in which the characters were captivating and the story to be moving. The Blu-ray was just as impressive of an experience for me as it was seeing it in the theaters. Definitely was worth the purchase and a nice additional to my theater collection. Thank you all for your time in reading this message and seriously look forward to hearing your thoughts if you have seen 'Gravity.' Thank you once again.