Like the pull from a looming planet, the first trailer for director Alfonso Cuarón's "Gravity," starring actors George Clooney and Sandra Bullock as astronauts, draws in moviegoers.
The one-and-a-half minute teaser, which Warner Brothers Pictures released online Thursday (May 9), provides a first glimpse at the highly-anticipated film, which has been in development since 2010. "Gravity" is scheduled to launch into theaters on Oct. 4, on the anniversary of the launch of the world's first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957.
In the film, Clooney plays Matt Kowalsky, an experienced astronaut commanding his last mission aboard the space shuttle. His crew includes first-time mission specialist Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock), a medical engineer. According to a synopsis, the two astronauts are out performing a routine spacewalk when the shuttle is destroyed and they are left stranded, with no way of communicating with Earth.
Posts: 976 From: Denver, CO USA Registered: Jun 2004
posted 05-09-2013 11:20 PM
"Gravity" and "Europa Report" are the first sci-fi films in a long time with the ambition of portraying spaceflight realistically in the "2001" mold. Looking forward to both.
cspg Member
Posts: 3946 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 05-10-2013 05:05 AM
There's an explosion, debris flying all over the place, and miraculously both astronauts' spacesuits are intact.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 26788 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 05-10-2013 08:02 AM
There are at least two separate major events shown in the trailer: an impact that damages/destroys the space shuttle ("Explorer"), which subsequently damages the Hubble Space Telescope, and an explosion or impact at the International Space Station. In between those two events, Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) seems to change spacesuits, from wearing a U.S. EMU to what looks like a cross between a Russian Sokol and Orlan. That may be in response to her EMU being torn, or it could be for some other reason.
As with most trailers today, the footage we're seeing is cut from different parts of the final film, so trying to link one scene to another is difficult until we know more about the plot.
Interestingly, on further review of the trailer, in addition to the shuttle and Soyuz, Hubble and ISS, there also appears to be a spacecraft with a resemblance to a Chinese Shenzhou. It will be interesting to learn how all these pieces fit together.
Alfonso Cuarón is a masterful director, his style is not like Michael Bay's to throw things together for spectacle sake.
Kevin Grazier is identified as the film's science adviser.
Previously he was a research scientist and science planning engineer for 15 years at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) on the Cassini/Huygens Mission to Saturn and Titan. He was the Investigation Scientist for the Imaging Science Subsystem instrument.
cspg Member
Posts: 3946 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
posted 05-10-2013 09:06 AM
quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: Alfonso Cuarón is a masterful director, his style is not like Michael Bay's to throw things together for spectacle sake.
I remember liking Alfonso Cuarón's Children of Men (2006) although I would like to see it again. That opposed to, as you rightly point out, Michael Bay who likes to blow things up, including the script (provided there's one in the first place). Special effects do not make for a good story.
p51 Member
Posts: 699 From: Olympia, WA, USA Registered: Sep 2011
posted 05-10-2013 09:59 AM
Quite impressive from the trailer, I'm looking forward to seeing this!
Spaceguy5 Member
Posts: 395 From: Pampa, TX, US Registered: May 2011
posted 05-10-2013 04:55 PM
My only major complaint is that they sent a space shuttle commander on EVA. But it looks like they did good research on the hardware, and I'm looking forward to seeing a movie set in a mostly-realistic setting.
posted 05-10-2013 05:57 PM
If this film's soundtrack is a clue, it could be more "ambitious" in its attempt to portray spaceflight realistically in the 2001 mold...
posted 05-09-2013 10:02 PM
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