Two IMAX movies in a weekend

I started the holidays by taking the boys to see 'Gravity' in 3D and 'Catching Fire' at the IMAX. As a passionate movie lover I adore the idea of the IMAX so we were all really excited. 'Catching Fire' was the film that caused the most anticipation because we have all read the trilogy.The books are now infamous so I won't go too into the plot but if you haven't read them then I definitely encourage you to! I hadn't read a young adult book in a long, long time due to uni and, seeing the Twilight hysteria, I didn't think I'd find something to hook me (sorry to Twilight fans but I have all Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and love scary horror films so twinkling vamps aren't quite my thing!) Anyway, I really enjoyed 'The Hunger Games' trilogy and I think the current trend of dystopian books crowding the young adult market is both positive and interesting.

'Gravity' is a film I noticed was extremely popular amongst critics and cinephiles on twitter so I was intrigued to see what the fuss was about. It is obviously a technically excellent film. A hubble/shuttle is hit by space debris killing one person and sending another two, played by George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, spinning off into the abyss of space. They have to find a safe way to re-enter the earth's atmosphere, if they fail then they face certain death hurtling through space. The film's long shots are really effective - especially the opening sequence where the audience is treated to a shot of the hubble filmed against a curve of earth, with the truly awesome universe filling the rest of the giant screen and the sun rising over the planet, creating a powerful white light on the horizon. Due to the emphasis on the visual spectacle and technical wonderment the narrative, characterisation and length is minimal. What we do learn is that the main protagonist, Dr. Ryan Stone, a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, has lost her little girl in a tragic accident and is still grieving terribly. Clooney plays his usual character of a charming story-teller, here the anecdotes detract from the stark isolation. This isolation reflects the void within Dr. Stone and, as she fights to stay alive, overcoming the pain of losing her daughter becomes an equally powerful struggle.
The cinematography is incredibly important and Emmanual Lubezki does everything absolutely amazingly. Both the director, Alfonso Cuaron, and the cinematographer made one of my favourite films, 'Y Tu Mama Tambien' (go get it right now if you haven't seen it!!) so I really wanted to love 'Gravity' but it didn't grab me passionately - although, I do admire it. However, I am not familiar with space films, nor do I actively seek them out, hence my lack of passion and I can't compare it with other films of the genre. 'Gravity' impressed me with it's technical excellence but because that is where the merits lie, I'm not sure it will be a brilliant film for most people watching on a television screen. I think film viewers watching 'Gravity' at home may be disappointed with such a sparse narrative but the withdrawn nature of the plot serves to centralise the universe and Dr. Stone's personal struggle rather than detract with meaningless drivel simply to please those who require it. If viewers can appreciate that fact then they will appreciate the minimalism.