Tag Archives: review

Anna -Extended Edition (2012)

Anna-Extended-Edition

Anna is a psychological horror video game. The plot is really vague and a bit hard to follow but you start off in what appears to be a dream. Now being a horror game, you would expect a creepy atmosphere to begin with but this game actually starts off the opposite way. After a small intro by the main character, who is in search of Anna, you start off outside an old looking house but the environment around the house is beautiful. Grass is lush green, the small creek is next to the house is crystal clear, and the sky is blue. This type of environment does nothing to scare the player and actually seems odd compared to the tone of most horror games.

It’s only after walking into the house that you see the first real signs of the horror aspect of this game. What really stands out is that despite the creepy interior of the house, the music does not fit at all. Instead of your typical Silent Hill-esque track, there is really mellow music. Somehow this makes the game more unsettling than if there was generic horror music. Another thing to add is that the developers of this game really found a way to make the player feel uncomfortable without using jump scares (I only recall coming across  one) but by instead setting an uncomfortable ambience. The appropriate way to describe this game would be creepy, not scary and that’s not a bad thing at all. Another thing to point out is that there’s no real enemies or monsters chasing after you. It’s not like Amnesia or Outlast where you occasionally run into an enemy and hide. In Anna, you might be exploring a room and all of a sudden the room will change and often times get creepier. Between weird symbols, wooden mannequins, and a few ambient noises, Anna creates a very unique horror game atmosphere (with some pretty good graphics) that’s terrifying to navigate through.

SUK2J

The introduction level

I wish I could say this game had the potential to give games like Silent Hill or even Amnesia a run for their money but it falls short in a couple of areas. The gameplay is puzzle based and actually reminded of games like 999. The main problem that this game had was the fact that instructions to progress where extremely vague. Throughout the entirety of the game, your character picks up several books that the player would then have to read. Often times reading things like this is optional but in this case they are sometimes essential to try and figure out how to move forward. The worst part about this is that the texts found in the books are not exactly brief. The next part of the gameplay that bothered me had to do with your inventory. Like most puzzle games, you are required to pick up certain tools to solve the puzzles in each room. Early on you are completely swamped with items that have no clear use. Often times throughout, I found myself trying out every single item blindly on random objects hoping to see if they somehow fit together.  To top things off, there were several items that were never used (at least in my play through) and there was even an instance where if I hadn’t done something in the very beginning of the game I would’ve been set back a bit having to go back and forth from one room to another.

The second part of where this game falls short is the story. Keeping up with the plot in the game is extremely confusing, it often seems like there’s 2 or 3 story lines going on at the same time. Even after beating the game, it’s not clear who the main character is or even the history behind the house that you are in. Furthermore, it is never really specified during what time period this is taking place. First guess for anyone would probably be modern day (seeing as how one of the items in your initial inventory is a phone) but what happens in the story would probably point to an earlier time period.

Anna is an interesting game and vastly different from other horror games that I’ve played. The story, after doing some research, is actually quite interesting but extremely convoluted. The solving puzzles is frustratingly (and unnecessarily) hard and the instructions to go forward are almost non existent unless you turn on the help key and even then the clues are a bit cryptic. Anna shines giving an extremely unsettling atmosphere and it genuinely made me want to stop moving forward or going back into certain rooms, something that doesn’t happen too often (or often enough) when I play this type of game. The game itself is actually quite short IF you know what you’re doing. I look forward to seeing what Dreampainters, the developer, has in store for their next game. Hopefully they’ll be able to learn from their mistakes and make an even better game.

TL;DR: Decent horror game with a unique atmosphere. Major drawbacks with gameplay and story might not make it too enjoyable.

Rockit Raccoon Rating: 5/10

Metacritic: 55/100

GameRankings: 49.13%

IGN: 5.5/10

2 Comments

Filed under Video Games

Philomena (2013)

philomena-movie-banner-new.jpg w=500&h=375

Philomena Lee (Judi Dench) is a woman who’s been keeping a secret for about 50 years. When she was younger she had a child out of wedlock, something that was looked down upon by her catholic community. She was forced by the church to put up her son for adoption and was never able to see him again. Years later Philomena is introduced to political journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) who is not too eager to find out what happened to Philomena’s son. Despite his reluctance, Sixsmith agrees to help Philomena because he needs to find a job.

This movie was packed full of charm and enough tragedy to make it a solid movie. Philomena never shows bitterness or resentment toward the nuns that mistreated her and I think that this triumph over evil is something that makes the movie unique. All too often we see the tale of the wronged punishing the person that wronged them but Philomena chooses to forgive. The fact that this movie didn’t tell the woman’s life story is a thing that I appreciated. This film stuck to the point and mainly stayed in the present to show us Phil’s reactions as she discovered more and more about her lost son. Of course I don’t think this was one of the most moving stories I’ve seen but it truly is a memorable one due to how endearing Philomena is.

Judi Dench’s performance as the lovable Philomena combined with Coogan’s portrayal of the relunctant (and weary) Sixsmith made them one of the most likeable onscreen duos in recent years. Strangely enough, I was surprised to find that this film was a lot funnier than I initially thought it would be. This is, I think, has to do with the excellent chemistry between Dench and Coogan. Of course, the audience would not have felt as bad for Philomena if it weren’t for Sophie Kennedy Clark who did a superb job as a younger version of Phil. All of this excellent acting was of course complemented by a superb soundtrack from Alexandre Desplat.

The only thing that really bothered me about this movie was that there was a couple times were product placement was blatantly obvious. To the credit of the director, Stephen Frears, or whoever was responsible, this actually tied into the story pretty well. Other than that there wasn’t any glaring mistakes or plot holes that would ruin this movie for anyone.

Philomena is an extremely enjoyable movie. Judi Dench’s performance will instantly draw you in while the sporadic comedy and story development will keep you interested. Having said this, the comedy in this movie isn’t completely overwhelming because this is still a story of discovery, not only for Philomena but also for Sixsmith.

TL;DR: Great movie with a great performance by both Judi Dench and Steve Coogan.

Rockit Raccoon Rating: 7.5/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

IMDB: 7.9/10

Metascore: 76/100

Leave a comment

Filed under 2014 Oscar Nominees, Movie

Hotline Miami (2012)

Hotline-Miami-Vita

Hotline Miami is a game that’s tough to describe in one word. It combines some of the traits from stealth games and marries it to a fast-paced, violent gameplay that is surprisingly fun to play. The game itself is heavily inspired by Drive (2011) and is not ashamed to flaunt it. Nicolas Winding Refn, the director of Drive, even appears in the game’s credits.

The game itself is similar to the original Grand Theft Auto where you controlled the character from a bird’s eye point of view, an angle that’s cleverly used in this title to help plan out your massacre. Your main character throughout the game is a nameless protagonist that uses different types of masks when going in to do his job. Each one of these masks gives the main character abilities such as running faster, finding more guns, and even starting out with a knife. Each level you’re tasked to kill every person in the building. Neon combo indicators, an assortment of weapons, and executions make this one of the most addicting games I have played in a while. Instant level restarts are also another reason why this game was hard to put down. Upon death, the simple press of the button will reset the stage and give you another chance to rush through the level.

The game was not without a good soundtrack. With a mix of Electronic and experimental music, the background music was something that added fuel to the fast paced action of Hotline Miami. Sun Araw, Jasper Byrne, and M.O.O.N. all come together to deliver an incredible soundtrack that fits perfectly into the neo-noir style of Hotline.

Hotline_Miami_Artwork_6

Hotline Miami also has a strange narrative woven throughout. The story is not particularly eye pleasing due to the fact that the whole game is told in a 16-bit format but there’s enough mystery to keep someone paying attention. As the story progresses it becomes more and more confusing. The only advice I would be able to give someone is to just wait until the end when everything is explained properly.

The only other flaw, besides the loose story, that stuck out to me had a little to do with the enemies. I love that both the protagonist and the enemies in this game seemed to follow the same set of rules, one of them being the one hit kills, but there were a lot of times when the gameplay felt more punishing than anything. You would break into the room and kill everyone and all of a sudden you would die because an enemy off screen shoots you from the other side of a glass wall that was beyond your line of sight. I understand that this may be used as a throwback to older 16-bit games but it just felt plain wrong when you were in the middle of a long string of combos and you died because an enemy sniped you from the other side of the map. Certain things like this make Hotline turn into more of a memory game than an organic, adaptive one. I personally do not mind in this case but I’m sure there’s more than one person out there that prefers a more organic mode of play rather than a memorization game.

Hotline Miami is not a perfect game but it’s an extremely addicting one. The adrenaline packed gameplay mixed with a great soundtrack make this game loads of fun to play. Levels are split into sections that are short enough to complete in a few minutes but the gameplay is fun enough to keep you playing for hours. The frustration that this game brings you (due to repeated deaths) makes each level extremely gratifying to beat, a feeling that not all videogames can give. Despite the weak story, the gameplay makes it so that you can go back and try to get bigger combos and high scores.

TL;DR: Extremely fun game. Worth the money if you can spare it, if not you can always wait for a Steam sale.

Rockit Raccoon Rating: 8.5/10

Metacritic: 85/100

Game Informer: 7.75/10

IGN: 8.8/10

GameRankings: 85.36%

2 Comments

Filed under Video Games

Her (2014)

HER

Spike Jonze’s return to the big screen was nothing less than spectacular. The story takes place in what seems to be the near future where people’s computers are able to talk to them through the use of an earpiece. Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) is a lonely man who works for a company that specializes in writing letters for couples. After splitting up with his wife Catherine (Rooney Mara), Theodore becomes terribly withdrawn from other people. The only thing that Theodore seems to have in his life is his Operating System, which he decides to upgrade after seeing an ad on the street. This is when he meets Samantha (Scarlett Johansson), the voice of his new OS, a computer with the ability to learn and think. After spending some time with Samantha, through the use of a headpiece and handset, he slowly begins falling in love with her. This is where the story really begins.

One thing that really made this movie shine had to be Joaquin Phoenix’s performance. He barely shares the screen with any other character and although he talks to Samantha, the camera is usually resting on Joaquin’s face and reactions to what he is listening to. On the other side of that argument, Johansson also did a great job with her voice acting. Her part as Samantha really did seem natural and made everyone watching it care about her character. The dialogue between Samantha and Theodore seemed extremely effortless and will make you forget that the budding romance is between a computer and a human. Of course this also had to do with how Spike Jonze wrote out everyone’s lines.

On top of the characters is the fact that there is a lot of depth within the story.  Her raised several questions about relationships, artificial intelligence, and humanity itself. Despite how strange the premise is, you can’t help but sympathize or even relate to Theodore’s situation in life. But then again, is it really so farfetched to think that someone would fall in love with a computer when there’s people today that get married to non-living and even non-thinking objects? The movie really pushes some interesting thoughts and is a refreshing take on the romance genre of movies.

Also worth a mention is the fact that Arcade Fire composed most, if not all, of the music in the film. The tracks that are being played are spot on to each scene and serve as an interesting gateway to lead into some montages of the characters. Music plays a small and significant role in this movie and Arcade Fire really hit the nail on the head with each and every one of their tracks. The fact that the music worked so in sync with the movie is a testament to how well composed each track is.

Easily one of the best movies to have been released in the last 5 years, Spike Jonze triumphs once again. Her has the charm that every movie should have and will make you feel a range of emotions from humor to sadness. The acting is fantastic and the story itself has a lot of heart. Although it is categorized as a movie about romance, I think it’s more than that. Jonze is instead showing us his own interpretation of our age of technology and how deeply this tech has been integrated into each of our lives. This being said, there were also a few things about the plot itself that bothered me but regardless of this, Her will remain a must watch movie for years to come.

TL;DR: An amazing movie by Spike Jonze with a lot of heart. Oscar nominations are undeniable to this movie.

Rockit Raccoon Rating: 9.5/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 93%

IMDB: 8.7/10

Metascore: 91/100

Leave a comment

Filed under 2014 Oscar Nominees, Movie

Dredd (2012)

Image

The reboot of Sylvester Stallone’s infamous Judge Dredd (1995) was actually not as bad as I thought it would have been. This time Judge Dredd is grittier and more intense than its mid-nineties predecessor. For those unfamiliar with the films or the premise of the comic strips its based on, the story takes place in the future where judges are the only form of justice in the futuristic mega cities. These specially trained police force not only have the powers to judge but to also execute sentences how they see fit.

In this particular storyline, Dredd (Karl Urban) is given a rookie (Olivia Thirlby) to take on patrol in order to assess whether she is fit to be a judge or not. Their investigation of a triple homicide leads them to a building that is controlled by a gang led by a woman who is called Ma-Ma (Lena Headey). Upon making an important discovery, Dredd and the rookie become trapped in the building they went to raid and have to get ready to fight off the gang members that are trying to kill them.

The first thing about this movie was that the 3D elements in this movie weren’t as noticeable as they are in other films. Apart from a few stylization elements in order to emphasize drug use in a couple of scenes, there’s nothing too gimmicky. The second thing that stuck out to me was how faithful they remained to the comic strips. Judge Dredd never once removed his mask during the entirety of the movie. Not only was this a nod to the comic, it also served to make Dredd seem more menacing and invincible.

The action in this movie was over the top in some parts but it did not seem completely out of place because of the setting everything takes place in. Ma-Ma, the main villain of the movie was played by a woman which doesn’t happen too often and not only is she evil, she’s also a smart leader with a weakness for violence. In short, one of the more memorable bad guys I have seen in a while. I was a little disappointed that although the director, Pete Travis, had such a good villain, he did not seem to elaborate her character a little more. Despite this, the action in Dredd never gets boring and is actually pretty consistent all the way through so you don’t really get a chance to dwell on the “what if” questions.

Overall, a great sci-fi/action film that runs in the same vein as Robocop. Karl Urban’s portrayal of Judge Dredd was similar to what you would expect of Batman and this isn’t a bad thing. Although the story isn’t too deep, it’s executed smartly enough to keep you at the edge of your seat until the very end. Despite a few minor setbacks, Dredd gives me hope that in this age of reboots there may still be hope for good ones.

TL;DR: Relieved to know that there are some reboots worth watching. Great Sci fi movie.

Rockit Raccoon Rating: 7.9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 78%

IMDB: 7/10

Metascore: 59/100

Leave a comment

Filed under Movie

The Wind Rises (2013)

Image

Hayao Miyazaki’s final movie before his dreaded retirement is none other than The Wind Rises. The film takes us into the life of Jiro Horikoshi, the man responsible for designing Japanese Fighter planes during World War II. Amazingly enough, Miyazaki finds a way to dance all over the subject of war without being too obvious. Jiro’s story begins when he was a young boy, his obsession: aircraft. He gets his hands on the latest aviation magazines and goes through them no matter what language its in. This fascination with aircraft follows him into adulthood where he finally achieves his dream of designing aircraft but at a cost.

The animation in this movie is almost impeccable which has been customary of Miyazaki but the heart of the story doesn’t rely on the character’s surroundings like it does in some of his other works. Apart from a few dream sequences that Miyazaki uses to transition through Jiro’s life, the bulk of the story takes place in an ordinary Japan. Jiro and the company he works with are presented as normal people with no ill intentions which is something refreshing to see when it comes to WW II stories. Throughout the film, the audience not only gets to experience Jiro’s struggle, they also get a glimpse at Japan’s work ethic during the time. This isn’t just the story of a aircraft designer, it’s the story of an artist who is bound to meet the demands of his government.

The Wind Rises is a great conclusion for an artist like Miyazaki. It is not one of his most imaginative stories, but it’s definitely one of his most emotional ones. Joe Hisaishi’s score was a little familiar but had a special place in this movie. All of the characters were memorable and despite not understanding Japanese, the voice acting was moving enough to stir the audience’s emotions. The only thing that bothered me about this particular film was the fact that Miyazaki would jump from one scene to a dream sequence too often in the beginning. I know this was done to move the story forward (since it’s a chronicle of Jiro’s entire life), but it felt jarring at times. Hayao Miyazaki has left a legacy of stories for everyone to watch and despite his retirement from films, I feel as this isn’t the last story we’ll hear from this talented artisan.

Rockit Raccoon Rating: 8.5/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (as of Nov. 30, 2013)

IMDB: 8.0/10

Metascore: 84/100

Leave a comment

Filed under 2014 Oscar Nominees, Movie

The Green Inferno (2013)

Image

The Green Inferno is Eli Roth’s return to the director’s chair after Hostel: Part Two (2007). Before its screening in the AFI Film Festival of Los Angeles, Roth requested something of the crowd. He asked the audience to keep an open mind and dispel any preconceived notions or expectations of the film. I felt obliged to set aside my expectations of the movie. This review is the fruit of my observations as I tried my best to set aside any biased opinions.

The movie follows a group of teenagers who want to stop a rainforest from being cut down. They fly over to Peru in order to chain themselves to trees and stop the crew from continuing to destroy the forest. The plan succeeds despite a small situation that develops.  On their flight back to civilization, their plane crashes in the middle of the forest. There, half of the teenagers die while the rest are captured by a group of cannibals.

To start off, I will say that there were some well crafted scenes in the movie and one major villain of the film is extremely well written. There was also one scene where the dialogue seemed to go deeper than just your average horror film. Despite this, most of the movie seems to fall flat. Characters are very bland for the most part, you have a stoner, a chubby guy, jock, and the innocent girl among others. This description alone seems to be sufficient grounds in which to describe most of the characters. Right from the start, the dialogue seemed clunky and the actors seemed robotic. Thankfully, this seemed to disappear only to be replaced by insane amounts of blood and gore.

It’s very clear that this movie is a tribute to all the cannibal films before it but it just seemed unnecessary. Eli Roth once again plays into his trademark use of carnage to make the audience feel queasy. I found myself laughing more often than feeling horrified at the actions on screen and this speaks to the root of the problem I have with this movie. This flick wasn’t funny in a clever way but in more of a this-is-incredibly-unbelievable type of way.

It’s always tough to write about a horror movie because everyone has a different sense of what scary is or what is essential to horror. Overall I thought that the movie was dying to make a political statement that never came. The characters felt tough to sympathize with and the “horror” seemed more laughable than scary (which I recognize is a trend with most horror flicks).  To add insult to injury, the one time the audience is meant to feel pity for the native cannibals falls flat. Instead of feeling sorry for them, I questioned why anyone would try to save them. Roth seemed to be trying to push the standard of a cannibal film which is not bad, it just simply didn’t seem to work this time around.

TL;DR: Typical Eli Roth movie. Other than being a tribute to cannibal films, a very generic B-movie.

Rockit Raccoon Rating: 5/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 70% (as of Nov. 10, 2013)

IMDB: 6.5/10

Leave a comment

Filed under Movie

Blue Ruin (2013)

Image

A revenge story that follows Dwight (Macon Blair), as he returns to his hometown and proceeds to become a very inept assassin. At first glance, this may seem like a very dull and predictable  film but the synopsis is a vague look at the content in the movie. For the most part, movies tend to end when the protagonist defeats the villain of the story. In Blue Ruin, the bulk of the story happens once the antagonist is killed. After the man that murdered both of his parents is released from prison, Dwight, a beach bum, goes out to murder the ex convict. This is where the majority of the story takes place. Throughout the rest of the film, Dwight has to deal with the repercussions that come with murder. The movie features a lone protagonist and scarce dialogue between characters much like Drive (2011).

Having a good amount of experience being a cinematographer, Jeremy Saulnier does a great job at making all the scenes of his movie look beautiful. Saulnier heavily uses open areas, beaches, and forests in his film. The limited dialogue in Blue Ruin also force the viewer to appreciate the cinematography and have a more intimate understanding of Dwight’s world. There are few instances where blood and gore were used in this movie but when it is used, it is extremely gruesome and intense. A very intentional and interesting choice for a movie of this genre. Revenge stories like this thrive off of a lot of action and gore but because the protagonist that we follow is such a regular guy, the amount of gore illustrates how foreign this type of violence is to Dwight.

What is even more impressive about Blue Ruin is the fact that despite being low budget, the movie does not fail to deliver. Having a budget of about $35,000 that was collected from a Kickstarter project, it does not feel as if the film is lacking much. Macon Blair’s portrayal of Dwight is perfect, a man who resorts to violence but is human enough to react in disgust or horror when he sees  the blood that he has spilled. Saulnier has only directed one other feature film before Blue Ruin but the way he was able to build tension throughout the 90 minutes of the movie show that he has years of experience doing this. There was hardly a moment where I was not at the literal edge of my seat.

As if it was not enough to have great cinematography to accompany a well made film, Jeremy throws in an amazing twist at the end of the movie. Blue Ruin will inevitably be one of those amazing movies that only a few people will see because of the director’s lack of hierarchy and star power. It would be imprudent to say that Jeremy Saulnier will be a household name in the future but I will say that he has certainly demonstrated that he has the talent to be among Hollywood’s A-listers.

Rockit Raccoon Rating: 9/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (as of Nov. 11, 2013)

IMDB: 7.2/10

Leave a comment

Filed under Movie

Carrie (1976)

Image

Directed by Brian De Palma and starring Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie is one of the most iconic horror movies of all time. Time and again, there have been directors who try to reproduce the success of the original film with no real success. The main problem that all these remakes have is that there’s no way to watch one without comparing it to De Palma’s version. Despite how dated the movie is, there are several moments within the film that demonstrate why this is such a classic.

Carrie is an adaptation of a book by Stephen King of the same name. The story follows Carrie (Sissy Spacek), a young girl with telekinetic powers, as she attempts to deal with being a social outcast at her school. Everything really boils down once she is asked out to prom and the other kids set up a prank for her.

Watching the movie in its entirety for the first time, I have to say that it was still entertaining. The film definitely shows its age right from the start. The combination of cheesy effects plus its music make it seem very outdated and more laughable than terrifying.  This does not by any means make this a terrible film. Several shots throughout the movie were very interesting and the contrasting themes and colors throughout were great. Both Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie do an outstanding job at portraying their characters; Sissy as Carrie and Piper as her overbearing mother. Not only is the movie’s actors good, it almost seems like they were handpicked for their roles. Unlike more modern versions, the actress who plays Carrie isn’t the best looking girl as opposed to Chloe Grace Moretz in the 2013. Certain details like that help sell the characters a lot more and add to the story instead of being a distraction. To its credit, there was also a couple of times when the movie legitimately scared me.

Trying to review a movie like this is tough because of all its history. It is undeniably a landmark film but the years have taken its toll and the movie has become quite dated. I won’t go as far as saying that this movie was better or worse than its predecessors but it does hold it’s own and is still worth a watch.

Rockit Raccoon rating: 6.5

Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

IMDB: 7.4/10

1 Comment

Filed under Movie

Gravity

gravity-movie-poster

For months, the only images that were available of Gravity were that of Sandra Bullock hurtling through space. The amount of hype this movie received seemed unreal and it looked like Gravity would not be able to deliver. Once Alfonso Cuaron’s movie debuted however, it quickly climbed to be the #1 Box Office movie.

The plot to Gravity is not too strong. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) are two astronauts that become stranded in space after flying debris destroys their shuttle. The two astronauts are not only cut off from communication to and from Earth, but they are left stranded in space with very limited oxygen and even more limited options. So right away this becomes a mash up of Cast Away (2000) and Apollo 13 (1995). Despite the weak plot, Cuaron does an excellent job of using great cinematic elements to complement the themes in the movie. Sandra Bullock also did a phenomenal job of portraying her character’s emotions throughout the film. Clooney also played to his strengths and actually fit into his character perfectly. This film being very character driven, having these actors play their parts well was important.

The visual elements of Gravity were breathtaking and I don’t think anyone can deny that. I had the privilege of watching it in IMAX 3D and I was not disappointed. I’m personally not fond of any movie that uses 3D but Gravity did not rely on it. The 3D element did not overpower the movie but rather, complemented it. The film would have been just as great if it had been in 2D.

Themes were the most important part of Gravity. If it weren’t for these themes that were placed across the movie, the visual effects and acting would not have saved this film. The main themes that caught my attention were that of survival and birth.

The opening line of the movie, if I recall correctly, was “Life in Space is Impossible.” This little line tells the viewer how much the odds are going to stack against the characters. Once the debris sets events in motion, the ordeals that the astronauts face seem unlikely and even impossible to overcome. But despite how impossible it may have seemed, life persisted to existed. This was not just a character’s journey to survive, it also seemed to parallel how mankind struggled to survive despite all odds placed against it.

maxresdefault

The next theme in the movie was that of (re)birth. This was probably the most prevalent of all themes in the movie. Ryan Stone (Sandara Bullock) has to deal with some inner demons throughout the plot. Eventually she begins to “let go” of her past and overcomes her struggles. This may not seem like such a deep theme but the way it’s presented is overwhelmingly beautiful. It begins with a shot of Sandra Bullock in a position that can no doubt be a comparison to a womb. After that there is a sort of growing phase where our character is faced with the choice of fighting for survival or facing death. This theme of birth, just like the theme of survival, beautifully continues until the end.

Gravity did not fail to live up to the hype that it got. It was not the most impressive plot but it was a great example of what can happen when there is a unison between themes and cinematography. Alfonso Cuaron did not just create a story of survival, he orchestrated an ode to mankind.

Rockit Raccoon Rating : 9

Rotten Tomatoes: 97 %

IMDB: 8.6/10

Metascore: 96/100

Leave a comment

Filed under 2014 Oscar Nominees, Movie