December 26, 2010, a very ordinary date. North America's Christmas holiday had just ended, and the streets of Los Angeles had returned to peace. Yet, in front of an IMAX theater at Nokia Plaza, countless people had gathered. The long line extending out of the theater already reached into the plaza.
"Damn it! All the tickets before New Year's are sold out!"
At Nokia Plaza, complaints like this kept ringing out, forming a constant murmur.
"Why did they open with a limited release?"
"What is Duke doing? I just can't understand why he would do this…"
"Apparently, the film was made in a hurry, and Warner Bros. hasn't finished preparing all the prints, so they can only screen it through limited showings for now."
Hearing these words, Tony Cross couldn't help but feel lucky. Fortunately, he had the foresight to wait in front of his computer for half a day upon learning that tickets for Gravity would be released, and only then was he able to snatch one from the frenzied rush.
However, he had arrived a bit late and had no choice but to slowly wait in line at Nokia Plaza.
Not far from the plaza, another screening was also being held. Different from the others, this was a special session arranged by Warner Bros. specifically for Academy members and media reporters. Although Duke had to fly to San Francisco due to issues with Lucasfilm and couldn't attend, the rest of the crew was present. Warner Bros. and Panny Kallis had also invited several heavyweight members of the Academy.
For instance, Franco Pearson. Although he had stepped down from the rotating chairman position of the Academy's board, his influence remained significant, especially when it came to certain key awards.
There was also Kathleen Kennedy, a veteran figure in the Producers Guild who held considerable influence and voice in many areas.
And then the media magazines with considerable influence in the industry like Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, and others had sent their chief or deputy editors.
Among them was Sarah, the deputy editor of the entertainment section of the Los Angeles Times. Truthfully, she was very much looking forward to this film, and was especially curious about what kind of Oscar-bait role Duke Rosenberg had created for his girlfriend.
"600 kilometers above the Earth's surface, temperatures fluctuate between +258°F and -148°F. There is no medium for sound to travel through. No atmospheric pressure. No oxygen. Life cannot survive in space."
The film began with no flashy titles—just the letters G-R-A-V-I-T-Y in simple white font on a black background, accompanied by a minimalist score. No effects, no production spectacle.
But Sarah only felt that simplicity is the ultimate form of beauty.
The film opened with a long take that was simply stunning. The blue Earth filled nearly the entire screen. Space was silent. Only mission instructions came through the intercom, along with astronaut Kowalski's rambling chatter. Dr. Stone was rebooting the communication card. Shariff was replacing a battery module. Everything was going smoothly. The spacecraft floated steadily in space. The astronauts could see the vast universe behind them and the comforting sight of Earth in front. Not everyone gets to witness such a magnificent view.
Through his 3D glasses, Tony Cross's eyes were wide open, staring unblinking at the IMAX screen in front of him.
"You have to admit, this view is beautiful. So beautiful."
He didn't know who it was, but someone suddenly repeated George Clooney's line. It couldn't have been more accurate.
Unfortunately, the peaceful atmosphere didn't last long. The astronauts were forced to make an emergency evacuation from the Hubble Space Telescope. Debris from a satellite struck by a missile had triggered a chain reaction and was hurtling rapidly toward the astronauts. The debris affected most satellites, and communication with Earth could be cut at any moment. Soon, the astronauts could already see the debris with their naked eyes.
At this moment, the camera cut quickly, and the music turned tense. The audience's emotions were instantly stirred.
In that instant, Tony Cross felt like the 3D effects were unbelievably real as if the debris was flying straight at him, trying to pierce through his body, his head. His adrenaline spiked, and he instinctively made a dodging motion…
Luckily, he had good self-control and quickly returned to normal. Glancing around, he couldn't help but chuckle.
The young man on his right was dodging excitedly from the incoming debris. The girl on his left was so overwhelmed by the 3D effects that she almost threw up. The girl behind him was already crying uncontrollably…
"I was sitting in a vast and dim theater, watching a space station get shattered like foam by satellite debris. No sound could be heard in space. As the silent music played, I believed what I saw and heard was a magnificent space ode of humanity: real, tragic, calm, and blazing."
By the time Tony Cross returned to his senses in the silence of space, his tightly clenched palm was drenched in sweat.
Sarah rarely closed her eyes, but the 3D effects were just too strong. Since Avatar, she hadn't seen a 3D film with effects this outstanding. She had heard the first 18 minutes of the film felt unprecedented.
It was true. The dazzling space scenes, the overwhelmingly beautiful Earth.
She truly admired Duke Rosenberg's special effects craftsmanship he had managed to make the film look so real, so visually stunning.
The two space debris explosions were incredibly immersive so gripping that her palms were sweaty, her heartbeat accelerated, and she couldn't help but follow the lonely female protagonist in fleeing that dark, boundless space, worrying deeply about her fate.
It had to be said rarely had a disaster film made Sarah feel this helpless. Whether it was Jurassic Park, Anaconda, or Jaws, they all took place on Earth. Though terrifying, there was always solid ground beneath your feet and comrades by your side.
But in space, it's different. You can't throw off your burdens and run like on Earth. You can't remove your spacesuit. You can't be sure your companions will always be with you. On Earth, you can always find a small space to create a sense of safety. But in space, "small" doesn't exist. What does exist is endless vastness, boundless despair, no up or down, no way to tell east from west, infinite void in all directions only that quietly floating planet offering the one and only comfort.
The movie showcased this to the fullest!
Watching the female protagonist struggle to survive, Franco Pearson slightly squinted his eyes. He had no interest in 3D technology or anything like that his only focus was on the film itself.
The film was far more oppressive than most thriller-horror movies; in fact, it couldn't even be described using the horror genre, given the kind of tense and despairing emotion it evoked.
Duke Rosenberg had truly tapped into the human curiosity for the unknown, forcing audiences to immerse themselves in this unbelievably realistic space experience, making them feel the insignificance and helplessness of humanity.
He turned what appeared to be a routine space mission into an almost perfectly authentic recreation, and it was precisely because of that extreme authenticity that the audience was overwhelmed with a sense of madness and awe, drawing them into the film to fully share in and endure this horrifying, masochistic journey alongside the characters.
This intense sense of immersion made everyone feel like they were truly there, drifting in despair through the vast, lonely expanse of space.
Unlike the average moviegoer, Frank Pierson believed that the film emphasized not the traditional cinematic elements of sight and sound, but the act of fully stepping into the character's shoes of experiencing and empathizing with the entire process!
Moreover, the 17-minute-long take at the beginning set the tone and style for the entire film. The camera fluidly shifted between the Earth's backdrop, the space station, Scarlett Johansson, and George Clooney. Such transitions were nearly unimaginable in Duke Rosenberg's previous films.
By contrast, this film connected each stage with a series of high-difficulty long takes, almost never offering a moment to rest or catch one's breath.
Frank Pierson exhaled softly Duke Rosenberg had finally made progress, finally aligned himself with the mainstream of the Academy. Wasn't this something the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences should celebrate and record in large letters?
Even though it still included 3D technology, which he didn't particularly care for, such things could be overlooked in the face of everything else.
Perhaps it was time to give him more recognition or even an award?
Frank Pierson suddenly had this thought without knowing exactly why, but he wouldn't make any hasty decisions. He planned to discuss it thoroughly with a few old friends.
Gravity undoubtedly achieved a balance between technical prowess and storytelling. In this breathless game of space survival, it delivered a series of intense and thrilling visual shocks. Of course, the perfection of the film was all-encompassing. The suffocating soundtrack paired perfectly with the urgent atmosphere, and the tightly packed, non-stop pace left no room for dull moments.
And then there was the female lead Scarlett Johansson's performance was absolutely impossible to ignore.
Frank Pierson acknowledged this: Scarlett Johansson delivered a phenomenal, once-in-a-generation performance. She precisely portrayed the despair and terror within that claustrophobic space, fully deserving of an Oscar nomination.
This was undoubtedly one of the best female roles on the big screen this year!
"Scarlett Johansson's performance is flawless perfectly showing the helplessness of being all alone in space."
Around Sarah, many entertainment journalists were exchanging opinions, and this view was widely agreed upon.
To a certain extent, the film could almost be said to have no plot. It was entirely held up by Scarlett Johansson alone, since for most of the runtime, there were no scenes involving other actors or any interpersonal dialogue. The entire film's message depended completely on the actor's personal skill and inner strength.
No wonder James Cameron, who was among the first to see the film, gave such a high evaluation!.
.....
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