8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.1 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.4 |
Two astronauts work together to survive after an accident leaves them stranded in space.
Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris, Orto Ignatiussen, Phaldut SharmaAdventure | 100% |
Sci-Fi | 71% |
Thriller | 8% |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 MVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (2 BDs, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Blu-ray 3D
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
It began with a simple image: an astronaut, topping end over end, adrift in space. Over the next four years, that image evolved into Gravity: a breathtaking cinematic marvel, a stunning technical achievement and an incredibly powerful human drama worthy of winning every one of the ten Academy Awards for which it's nominated. Director Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mamá También, Children of Men) has crafted a masterpiece so engrossing, so involving, so suspenseful, so intensely terrifying, so utterly overwhelming that it's difficult to call it a film when the word "experience" is so much more fitting. You'll forget to blink. Forget to breathe. To move. Your hands will clench. Your heart will pound. The hair on the back of your neck will bristle. Your mouth will go dry. Your eyes will water; first from opening so wide, later with tears. And then, as it all ends, comes what can only be described as a complete and total cinematic catharsis. Gravity is unlike anything I've ever seen. An exercise in grandiose minimalism. A jaw-dropping spectacle rife with restraint. A gorgeous assault on the senses that revels in silence and darkness. A film so real, so transcendent, so poignant that it becomes something infinitely more remarkable than the standard Hollywood-grade entertainment it could have been.
Gravity features two eye-popping, near-perfect, top tier video transfers -- a 1080p/MVC-encoded 3D presentation and its 1080p/AVC-encoded 2D counterpart -- both of which have already solidified their place as two of the best Blu-ray presentations of 2014. Color and contrast are flawless, with excellent saturation, lifelike skintones, deep black levels and terrific shadow delineation. Detail is remarkably well-resolved too, with crisp, clean edge definition, wonderfully revealing fine textures and stunning close-ups. Notice the pinpoint stars. The hairs on Bullock's neck or the rough stubble on Clooney's chin. The fingerprints, smudges, dust and scratches on the space suit visors. The age and weathering on the metal tools and tethers Stone and Kowalski have to work with. The thousands and thousands of pieces of debris hurtling around the Earth. The ridges of the mountains and the swirling clouds on the face of the planet. Or the fact that, at the beginning of the film, you can spot Kowalski circling the NASA shuttle almost from the moment the ship comes into view far off in the distance.
In 3D, Gravity reveals the true wonder of its visuals. The film's 3D is actually a combination of 2D conversion elements and native 3D FX, although you would never know it from watching each shot unfold. (Rather than bore most of you with the details, an informative overview of the process and techniques used to create the film's 3D presentation can be viewed here, courtesy of Studio Prime Focus' Richard Baker and Matthew Bristowe.) Depth and dimensionality are first rate, with a very real sense of the expanse of space and a very real presence of the objects that inhabit it. Watching Kowalski circle the shuttle is suddenly a whole other delight. Seeing ships and stations shatter is suddenly that much more intense. Drifting through the portways of the ISS or across the surface of the station suddenly lends that much more desperation to grabbing hold of something, anything that might put a stop to forward momentum. Better still, the pop-up storybook layering prevalent in so many conversions is MIA, and it's all too easy to forget you're watching a 3D film. It's that natural and refined. Aliasing, crosstalk and other distractions also don't come into play (even on displays prone to ghosting), making for a 3D experience packed with unforgettable shots and scenes that take full advantage of the hardware and the possibilities.
Crush is never an issue in the 3D and 2D presentations either, and there isn't any notable artifacting, banding, aliasing, noise or ringing to be found. A handful of visual effects aren't quite as convincing as the rest (small objects floating in the cabins of shuttles and escape pods are a bit problematic), but none of it traces back to either one of Warner's encodes. Ultimately, without a 4K-native presentation via a 4K Blu-ray player, or a 4K 3D experience, I can't imagine Gravity looking any better than it does here.
Just as outstanding is Warner's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. There will be some who complain that the Blu-ray edition of Gravity doesn't include a 7.1 mix, and for good reason. But that by no means should be used to criticize the 5.1 lossless powerhouse we do have. The film's sound design plays a significant role in the experience and it's incredibly effective in the home theater environment. The eerie silence of space is punctuated by breathing, the smallest movements, vibrations traveling through space suits, static-laden NASA communication and other subtleties, all presented here impeccably. LFE output is aggressive, sometimes downright vindictive. When Stone is in space, low-end rumbles are fittingly restrained and thoroughly realistic. When she gains entry to space stations or escape pods, though, the full fury of the debris field and the chaos outside becomes readily apparent. The rear speakers follow suit, creating a convincing, wholly enveloping soundfield as believable as it is involving. Directionality is perfectly precise, cross-channel pans are disarming and all too effective, and every last sound effect adds to the immersion of it all. Dialogue is intelligible and credibly prioritized from beginning to end as well, without any mishap or issue to point to. Gravity's AV presentation is phenomenal. No two ways about it.
Regardless of how well Gravity fares at this year's Academy Awards, it's a stunning achievement in filmmaking unlike anything that's ever come before. Cuarón and his team have created something truly special here, both in terms of technical innovation and storytelling mastery, and the visual effects, outstanding as they are, serve the script and performances at all times, just as they should. For me, this is the best picture of 2013, and Cuarón the best director. Thankfully, Warner's 3D Blu-ray release is stunning in its own right with a dazzling video presentation, a fully immersive 3D experience, a tremendously effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track and a three-hour complement of special features. More than a must-own release, it's one of the earliest front-runners for Best 3D Blu-ray Release of the Year.
2013
2013
Iconic Moments
2013
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2013
Includes "Silent Space" version
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2013
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2015
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2014
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2007
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2013
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