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‘Gravity’: The Best Plotless Movie, Ever

gravityIf you’re a regular reader of my columns, my blogs or our publication, you likely know that I am not a fan of 3D movies.

No, it’s not just because that, statistically, somewhere in the range of 20% of humans can’t even see 3D, nor is it because you have to hold your head in an angle parallel to the screen (and not tilted) so keep the image in focus on the screen.

It’s the glasses. The idea of having to wear special glasses to manipulate me in to seeing 3D that rubs me. I already wear glasses – so the idea (and discomfort) of having to place plastic “one-size-fits-all” 3D glasses over-top of my -1.75 in one eye and -2.25 in the other eye prescription glasses, well, irks me. And, did I mention they were uncomfortable?

Well, maybe I am wrong. Maybe it’s just that nearly every 3D movie I’ve ever seen…, sucked.

I went to see Alfonso Cuaron’s latest movie ‘Gravity’ this weekend. I heard it was plotless, but I see everything and anything that has a science fiction or space theme; so it didn’t matter to me that the reviews of the plot were mixed.

I decided to take nearly every good reviewer’s advice and see it in IMAX 3D – my local IMAX theater uses the Christie Digital Cinema IMAX. I certainly appreciate the immersion that IMAX delivers and that off-set the ugh-feeling of being handed giant 3D glasses.

I was blown away.

The very first scene mesmerized me. This is, by far, the best example of using 3D to help tell a story – rather than forcing the 3D upon the viewer.

Rolling Stone’s Gary Susman best described the film when he said ‘Gravity’ is a “space opera.” That describes it perfectly. And, unlike the 2nd best 3D movie, ever, Avatar, it was half as long so the pathetically uncomfortably 3D glasses were tolerable at 90-minutes. The entire theater was packed when I entered and I sat, literally, front and center. And, from the moment the space shuttle (orbiting the earth at 320 miles above us) came into frame at 20-seconds into the first scene in the movie, the packed theater went silent with awe and no one said a word for the next 89-minutes. Sure, there was plenty of squirming as people imagined themselves stuck in space with barley any oxygen, but everyone was completely immersed in the beauty of the movie. Heck, the guy sitting next to me held his breath in the scene when George Clooney told Sandra Bullock’s character, Ryan, to hold hers. He was there, with her, in space.

The plot is weak – it’s literally a movie about staying alive being stuck in space without a rocket – and, of course, (spoiler alert) the main character lives, but the beauty of it all – a script that I’ll bet was barely over 20-pages long – was breathtaking.

And, it’s not just for geeks. This plotless movie will appeal to any and every age. But, see it in 3D and, if any way possible, see it in IMAX. It makes a difference.

I keep saying you’ll be immersed in the movie, but, in reality, you’ll be immersed in space – and even holding your breath – and, best of all, you’ll forget you have on those crap-tastic 3D glasses; until you tilt you head to the side. Ugh!

Long live 3D – I mean: long live glasses-free 3D, that is!

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