Gravity 3D

So the day I am posting this is actually the second anniversary of my blog! I just want to thank everyone once again new and old who read my blog, you guys are the best and I hope you continue reading! Thank you! Now please enjoy my latest review.

After seeing the first trailer for Gravity I thought that the film looked interesting but I could not see A-list actors Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as astronauts. I wasn't overly excited for this film until all the gushing reviews came in from overseas, critics, bloggers and filmmakers all raving about the space survival epic. Then critic Mark Kermode said it had to be seen in 3D, and that's when I knew I had to see it because he hates 3D with a passion! It was about halfway through the cinema experience that I thought to myself 'I am watching something quite special here'.

Gravity is about a space engineer and an astronaut who have to work together after an accident leaves them adrift in space. And that's about as in depth as I want to go about the plot because this is a survival story and the less you know going in the more thrilling and tense your experience will be.

This film is mind blowing and really shows off the new technology that can be used to enhance cinema in the future. This film is a stepping stone into a new way of filmmaking. Director Alfonso Cuarón spent 4 years perfecting this film which is very effects heavy, but still uses a lot of wire work for its actors Bullock and Clooney to give a very realistic looking movement to zero gravity effect of space. This really pays off but so does the use of CGI because there was not one moment in this film that felt of place or unbelievable, it was one of the most gorgeous looking films I have ever seen, and it had a similar effect on me as when I first saw the incredible looking Pandora in Avatar for the first time.

The film is made of some very long and beautiful shots. the camera will float around a scene and rarely cuts. For the first twenty minutes of the film I was wondering if it was ever going to cut at all! This makes for a very impressive view but also allows you to really follow the characters. This can be bad thing however if you suffer from motion sickness as there is sequence at the start where you spin with Sandra Bullock for 5 minutes and it can start to get a bit dizzy.

Because this film is set in space we get some very stunning looks at the universe and our planet itself. A lot of themes of life and death are played out throughout the duration of the film and can cause some deep and heavy thinking. Everything you see will leave you breathless whether it be the view or the constant threat of danger following our characters.

Acting wise I was wrong to doubt the talents of Sandra Bullock and George Clooney who both give off great performances and are believable as astronauts. Bullock in particular is in one of the roles of her life and really is brilliant in the film as a new modern day Ripley like character.

Now onto the 3D of this film which really is the most effective use of the technology I've so far. The 3D really adds to the depth and openness of space and creates a very immerse experience that sucks you in and doesn't let go until the credits roll where you can finally breathe again. It seems as if 3D is finally being used in an effective way by the right minds and isn't just used as a gimmick anymore. We may be seeing 3D advertised less but nowadays but when it is being used its being used to its full potential. The only way is up for the technology.

In conclusion then this film is insanely good and very special. It marks the way forward for the future of filmmaking and I for one and am very excited to see where the next big creative mind takes us. Gravity is one of the best films of the year and was a sleeper hit for myself. I am giving it a rating of 5/5.

Did you enjoy Gravity or do you completely disagree with my praise? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

3D Or Not To Be? That Is The Question.

I, like many, am not a big fan of 3D. It seems like a new gimmick that allows institutions to make more money on their film products. And not many films have left an impression on us that 3D is the way forward to cinema. We get hooked in to the film being in 3D and every filmmaker claiming it is better 3D then the last. This tends not to be the case and we waste our money on paying extra for a pair of glasses that only darken our viewing experience.

There are those that take care in this new technological advancement in filmmaking. I am of course talking about James Cameron and Martin Scorsese. James Cameron brought us Avatar two years ago too the big screen in 3D. And the audience had never seen anything like it before. We fell in love with 3D and expected the rest of the film world to follow. This did not happen and we were given crappy conversions of films like Clash of the Titans. 

Conversions are films that were filmed in 2D and filmed in 3D. Sometimes this is used because the 3D cameras are expensive but sometimes its just a money making opportunity. I personally get very annoyed at these conversions, if you are going to make a 3D film you film it in 3D! If you are going to make a franchise in 2D why convert the last one to 3D, HARRY POTTER!? It has recently been announced that The Avengers will also have the conversion treatment, as much as I can't wait for the movie I will not pay out for an extra dimension! Especially when it was made in 2D!?

If you are going to do a conversion you need time and care to be able to put into it. Star Wars I has been undergoing the 3D conversion for over a year now. That is film I will pay out to see and not just because I am a massive fanboy.

Somebody who does give time and care into their filmmaking is Martin Scorsese who I mentioned earlier. His most recent film Hugo was his first step into 3D which he has been fascinated with since he was a child. I went to see Hugo a couple weeks ago and it really was a masterpiece and the 3D was incredibe. Personally I found it better then Avatar. You could tell that the director thought about every frame and how to use 3D to its best in it. 

If Hugo is what the future holds for 3D then it sure is the way forward but if 2012 is full of crappy conversions then I can see it dying out within the next couple of years. Thankfully we are being blessed with two major films next year that are actually being filmed in 3D and will benefit from this technique. I am talking about The Hobbit and The Amazing Spider-Man, which as you already know I am extremely excited for!

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