Gravity (2013)
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Two astronauts must fight for survival in the vacuum of space after their shuttle is destroyed by a cloud of debris.
The story
The Space Shuttle Explorer, commanded by veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski, is in Earth orbit to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Dr. Ryan Stone is aboard on her first space mission, to perform hardware upgrades on the telescope. During a spacewalk, Mission Control warns the crew about a rapidly expanding cloud of space debris caused by the Russians shooting down a defunct spy satellite, and orders the crew to return to Earth immediately. Communication with Mission Control is lost shortly after, as more communication satellites are disabled by debris. Debris strikes Explorer and Hubble, tearing Stone from the shuttle. Kowalski rescues her, and they must navigate the dangerous debris field to reach safety.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After the debris strikes the Explorer, Kowalski and Stone find the ship severely damaged and the rest of the crew dead. They use a Manned Maneuvering Unit to reach the International Space Station (ISS), but find it abandoned. They attempt to use a Soyuz spacecraft to reach the Chinese Tiangong space station. During the attempt, Kowalski detaches himself to save Stone from drifting away, and she is left alone. Inside the ISS, a fire breaks out, and Stone must navigate a damaged Soyuz through a debris field. After a failed attempt to reach Tiangong due to lack of fuel, she nearly gives up but finds the resolve to rig the rockets. She manages to reach the Tiangong station, and her capsule lands in a lake on Earth. She is eventually rescued by ground teams.
- First release year
- 2013
- Runtime (minutes)
- 91
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Alfonso Cuarón
- Writers
- Alfonso Cuarón · writer; Jonás Cuarón · writer
- Cast and characters
- Sandra Bullock · Ryan Stone; George Clooney · Matt Kowalski; Ed Harris · mission Control; Orto Ignatiussen · Aningaaq; Phaldut Sharma · Shariff Dasari; Amy Warren · captain of Explorer; Basher Savage · captain of the International Space Station
- Genres
- science fiction; thriller
- Themes
- adversity; resilience; isolation; human evolution
- Tone and mood
- tense; claustrophobic
- Premise and plot tags
- space exploration; survival; disaster
- Reception
- The film was met with widespread critical acclaim, praised for its direction, visuals, cinematography, acting, and score. It was considered one of the best films of 2013 and was included on numerous year-end lists.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 96% · scale: percentage · review count: 362
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Director · 2014 · win; British Academy Film Award · Best Director · 2014 · win; Golden Globe Award · Best Director · 2014 · win; Critics' Choice Award · Best Sci-Fi/Horror Movie · 2014 · win; Critics' Choice Award · Best Director · 2014 · win; Critics' Choice Award · Best Actress in an Action Movie · 2014 · win; Hugo Award · Best Dramatic Presentation · 2014 · win
- Production trivia
- The film was produced entirely in the United Kingdom.; The final scene on Earth was filmed on 65mm film to provide a visual contrast to the rest of the film.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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