Gravity Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		5.0

Gravity Blu-ray Movie Review

Yet another remarkable release of a remarkable film...

When a cataclysmic chain reaction of low-orbit debris traveling at 17,000 miles per hour destroys a U.S. space shuttle, medical engineer Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) -- the only two survivors -- have to find a way to reach the International Space Station and return home. Nothing comes easily. Communications with their Houston-based mission controller (Ed Harris) have been cut off. Oxygen levels are depleting fast. Propulsion is a rare commodity. The equipment at their disposal is damaged. And the orbiting debris cloud is set to return every ninety minutes. Every second, every maneuver and every decision is crucial.

For more in-depth impressions of the film itself, please reference my February 2014 Blu-ray review or my colleague Brian Orndorf's 2013 theatrical review.

Gravity Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For a complete review of Gravity's 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentation, please reference my February 2014 review. 25 screenshots are included. 25 additional shots can also be found in my review of the 3D edition.

Gravity Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Gravity's Dolby Atmos lossless audio mix (core Dolby TrueHD 7.1 surround) is every bit as magnificent as the top tier DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track included on the February 2014 Blu-ray releases of the film, only with richer, more expansive rear speaker activity and more notable immersive qualities. My review of the previous track can be found here. Just don't let the equality of the audio scores cause confusion. The Diamond Luxe Dolby mix represents an upgrade to be sure (so long as you have the necessary equipment to support an eight-channel or, even better, a Dolby Atmos presentation), but our scoring cap is set at 5.

Note: the Silent Space version of the film featured on the Diamond Luxe Edition release is presented with lossy 448kbps Dolby Digital 5.1 surround (in multiple languages). No Silent Space lossless track is available. Further details can be found in the "Supplements" section below.

Gravity Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

New Diamond Luxe Extras

• Gravity: Silent Space (Disc 1, HD): An experience that allows fans to watch Gravity without any music, for what Warner calls "a surprising cinematic experience." It isn't exactly surprising, but it is a fascinating way to view the film. And regardless of which version you ultimately prefer, it's well worth your time. As noted above, though, the Silent Space version of the film is presented with lossy 448kbps Dolby Digital 5.1 surround... a disappointment that could have easily been averted.
• Looking to the Stars: The Evolution of Space Films (Disc 2, HD, 42 minutes): The bulk of Gravity's extras are housed on a second Blu-ray disc, each one presented in high definition. Up first, "Looking to the Stars," a terrific documentary that begins with 1902's A Trip to the Moon, rockets toward 2001 and Star Wars (among many others), touches on the pursuit of realism and the challenges of depicting space on screen, and tracks the development of sci-fi cinema over the decades. Interview segments feature Alfonso Cuaron, Ron Howard, Joe Dante, FX masters Dennis Muren, John Dykstra and Douglas Trumbull, and more.
• Gravity: The Human Experience (Disc 2, HD, 11 minutes): Cuaron, writer Jonas Cuaron, producer David Heyman, actors George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, author Mary Roach, retired astronaut Dr. Dan T. Barry, and astronauts Michael J. Massimino and Catherine "Cady" Coleman discuss space travel, the skills and traits of NASA's finest, the awe mankind's advances have inspired over the years, and the manner in which these elements were drawn upon when creating Gravity.
• Sandra's Birthday Wish (Disc 2, HD, 3 minutes): A tongue-in-cheek bit of birthday cheer sent to Cuaron from Bullock, sporting a tin foil space helmet on the set of Gravity's "reshoots."

• Gravity: Mission Control (Disc 2, HD, 107 minutes): Gravity's previously released extras kick off with a wonderfully extensive and revealing behind-the-scenes documentary that touches on every aspect of the production, from the original script to the various previsualization stages, the shoot itself, obstacles and difficulties encountered along the way, and the delicate marriage between editing, performances and visual effects. Segments include:
  
  
  • It Began with a Story (16:21)
  • Initial Challenges: Long Shots and Zero G (10:12)
  • Previsualizing Gravity (11:38)
  • The Hues of Space (10:41)
  • Physical Weightlessness (7:48)
  • Space Tech (13:02)
  • Sandra and George: A Pair in Space (9:37)
  • Final Animation (15:01)
  • Complete Silence (12:13)
• Shot Breakdowns (Disc 2, HD, 37 minutes): Calling this series of scene-specific featurettes "Shot Breakdowns" is a bit of a misnomer. While they do indeed break down key shots in the film, each one is more of an extension or addition to the "Mission Control" production documentary than a simple FX short. And each one is as fascinating as the next. I only wish there were more. Breakdowns include:
  
  
  • Behind the Visor (6:50)
  • Fire in the International Space Station (5:42)
  • Dr. Stone's Rebirth (7:54)
  • The Sound of Action in Space (7:55)
  • Splashdown (8:24)
• Aningaaq: A Short Film by Jonás Cuarón (Disc 2, HD, 10 minutes): Gravity co-writer Jonás Cuarón's intriguing but ultimately rather inconsequential short film focuses on the Inuit fisherman Dr. Stone (Bullock) inadvertently contacts while aboard the Tiangong's escape capsule. The short also includes an optional introduction with the father and son filmmakers.
• Collision Point: The Race to Clean Up Space (Disc 2, HD, 22 minutes): Actor Ed Harris narrates this smartly produced and edited documentary about the very real looming crisis that inspired the film's centerpiece disaster.

Gravity Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Gravity is a stunning achievement in filmmaking. 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. And once again, Warner delivers a first class Gravity Blu-ray release. The 2-disc Diamond Luxe Edition features a dazzling 2D video presentation, a tremendously effective Dolby Atmos (core Dolby TrueHD 7.1) surround track, and nearly six hours of bonus content, including a Silent Space music-less version of the film, a new 40-minute documentary, another featurette, and a quick laugh with Sandra Bullock. If you haven't already added Gravity to your collection, there's no time like the present.