As I shuffled into the theater I expected to spend my next hour and a half watching an overrated action flick set in soundless, dull space. Ironically, the simplistic concept of deep space is actually what made Gravity truly mesmerizing.

From the moment the film started, I was petrified, and watching it in 3D didn’t help my nerves. It starts out with a few people working on the Hubble Space Telescope, with characters played by a suave George Clooney and a nerdy, intellectual Sandra Bullock. They are informed that there is Russian space debris orbiting right toward them. They must immediately stop what they’re doing and return to their ship, the Explorer. Not only are they unsafe but their ship has been shredded. Honestly, it all goes downhill for them from there.

At points it is terribly depressing, and you must accept the practicality of accidents in space to appreciate it. This is something that the creators of this film captured wonderfully. They showed what being in space is really like in both beautiful and terrifying ways. The view of the earth’s sunrise from far above, but also the fear of running out of oxygen, and the feeling of spinning further and further away was great imagery throughout the film.

Another great factor in Gravity was the acting, the best done by Bullock. Throughout the film, you feel her pain and understand her struggles. When her oxygen was nearly empty, I caught myself holding my breath. I needed to remind myself that I was the one who could breathe. The movie is truly about her survival and her strength.

Clooney was a nice addition and was a great help to Bullock’s character. He kept her calm and focused on what she needed to do. The only thing I didn’t like was how chill he was. There is no way someone could just be drifting in space and would be cracking jokes about alcohol and women. He was an obvious example of comic relief.

I give Gravity a solid B, I would recommend not only to sci-fi fans but also people who love a good drama and intricate filming. It was not just a thriller full of explosions, it was an exquisite story of survival, featuring fascinating cinematography and deep spiritual messages.