Top ten at least, no? Better still, this appears to be representative of the film. According to io9, the opening sequence of “Gravity” is a 17-minute long take. This isn’t a conventional space adventure a la “Apollo 13.” This is … different:
[O]n a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone—tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth…and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.
My lone, futile criticism is that this scene would work better with no-name actors. It’s amazing as is, but there’s no way to escape entirely into this scenario once you realize that that’s George and Sandra. Imagine casting a pair of unknowns and re-dubbing the audio transmissions so that they’re understated and realistic. Alas, box-office economics are what they are.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member