Filmmaker reacts to Gravity (2013) for the FIRST TIME! 

It's genius how they were able to incorporate the three elements of fire, air and water in a movie taken place 90% in space. Also the symbolism of birth/rebirth where our protagonist curls up like she's in the womb in one scene and then the ending where she has to regain the ability to walk like a baby learning for the first time. So good!

Alfonso Cauron is a master of the one shot take. He also did it in Children of Men and Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban

I don't get why people don't react to this more, this movie is one of my favorite movie experiences. This in 3D was killer. Breathtaking and scary, just space.

There's a looot of CG with the actors' faces matched in. It blends so well because they surrounded the actors with massive screens displaying the CG scene for perfect lighting. Environment mapping, basically, just real life. The destruction scenes were absolutely mind-blowing in 3D.

the one comment you made that just made my own day is that "Glass of cold water at 3am." SO GOOD! This movie is one I saw in the theaters on my own just after a personal tragedy and, I'll tell you what, I was ugly crying in the theater at the end.

Seeing this movie in IMAX was something else. It was like the feeling of falling in a dream.

I don't understand how anyone could find space boring. It's where literally EVERYTHING is.

I like that our protagonist in a story which is about survival, is someone who lost the most important thing in her life. The usual trope would be to set up what she has to live for, but instead she kind of has a reason to give up, which makes it hit harder when she doesn't. In the story she evolves from someone who survived on luck and reflexes, to actively working to live, and the story made life a choice for her. We aren't really shown what happens when she get back either, so instead pf fighting to get back to something important, she fights to reach some unknowable future life. The story made her value and fight for what might be instead of wallowing in despair over what was.

you know it's an affective movie when you find yourself holding your breath right along with the main character

Gravity is still the best experience I ever had in an IMAX 3D theatre It felt like I was actually in space. Not possible to replicate at home.

This film was a pioneer in on-set virtual production technology, the giant LED screens that would eventually lead to The Volume which is how The Mandalorian and other Disney plus shows are filmed.

This was mind blowing in 3D. One of the best uses of it I’ve seen.

Gravity is one of those technical marvels that you just have to experience for yourself. Everything from the sound design, to the effects, to that amazing score just creates this unbelievable, immersive experience. You really feel like your out in space with the characters, and no other movie of this type is quite at this level in terms of immersion. This might be a career-best performance for Sandra Bullock as well, she was terrific in this film. James I agree with what you pointed out about the foundation, the emotional component anchors the audience to this character, and that's one of the primary things that makes this film work so well!

I saw this in the theater and was super happy I did so. I was smiling ear to ear and shaking at the end. A roller-coaster emotionally and visually. Went out and downloaded the soundtrack right afterward and kept listening to the last three tracks over and over again. Those last 10 minutes and the music made my soul want to shout. The visuals still bring me to tears in those final moments in space.

Bruh. Literally this is my most favorite movie. Been wanting you to react to this movie ever since you saw Fury (2014). The same composer, Steven Price, did both films, and his movie and tv scores kick serious ass. Thank you so much for finally seeing this film.

I remember seeing Alfonso Cuarón's first American feature film, "A Little Princess" when I was 7, and being so emotionally affected by it. To go from that to having the experience of watching this film in an IMAX theater 18 years later.....then watching him win an Oscar for Best Director here, and for Roma a few years afterward? It's a cathartic experience to see how cinema can impact you at a young age, while seeing the evolution of it and the filmmakers who've helped shape the medium throughout the years. 👏👏👏

This is the film I am most glad I got to see in 3D, still one of the best experiences I’ve had in a movie theater

I'll never forget the moment at 3:00 in the theater. The deafening roar of the soundtrack gets so loud that you can't even form a conscious thought, then the instant cut to silence in space...it has this mind clearing effect that's hard to put into words. You know that slow mental transition your mind does while watching a film as you get more immersed? That opening title card and it's roar seems to just wipe everything you were thinking, like a brain reboot, and then you're left floating in the void with the hard cut. I'm curious if it felt like that for anyone else.

Oh man, this is one film that was meant to be seen on the big screen, and in 3D. Even on a home release, as long as you have a proper good 3D TV (a phase that winded out because it was mostly used as a monetary gimmick), the 3D home-viewing was incredible!

A bowl and Overwhelming anxiety of the void?! I'm in! No, but for real, this movie gave me so much anxiety when I watched it the first time. Horror movies could learn a thing or two about sound design from this movie. I don't need a loud bang to scare me. This movie showed me that silence can truly be more terrifying than any monster.

This movie’s the best use of 3D I think I’ve seen. The long takes let the visuals sink in and treat the spaces with care other movies can only envy. You gotta watch this is 3D.

I went in blind when I saw this at the cinema. Had only seen the poster. From the moment the shuttle started spinning to when Clooney grabbed her I held my breath. I didn't realise until that moment he had her and my breath practically exploded. I don't think I've ever felt the fear of a movie character as much as hers in that moment. The movie takes a few liberties with orbits, station placement, the cascading debris and Clooney's astronaut's knowledge of physics but no movie apart from maybe Apollo 13 gives you the visual and the feel of what it's like to be in space. Top notch film apart from Clooney's death which should be nominated for a Darwin Award.

I had the pleasure to see this in 3D on a big screen cinema back when it cam out. Not quite VR, but still impressive AF

I did a project on this movie for a cinema class. I talked about how the movie truly puts us into her shoes. First is the first-person shot when Clooney is trying to help her get her bearings. The camera takes the place of her eyes in a smooth transition. Everything is chaotic and spinning, but as Clooney talks her through it, the camera lingers on certain points for just a split second. Then, when she finally calms down, the camera comes out of her eyes and we watch her fall away into the darkness of space... until Clooney collides into her. The second is during the climax while she's scrambling over the falling space station. Like the film said at the beginning, you don't hear sound unless there is a medium for it to move through. So when she is touching the space station, you can hear it rumbling and the stresses on it, but when she lets go and she doesn't touch it, there's only silence (apart from the music). There's even a point where she misses a grab and her hand slides along the surface (I think it was a solar panel) and you can hear sound. It's truly great sound

James, I’m surprised I hadn’t seen a movie reaction from you yet with Interstellar. That movie was totally a blast and one of my biggest favorite sci-fi films of all time🥰

Thank you for giving Gravity some love! It blew up when it first came out but Interstellar was released shortly after and everyone seemed to have forgotten about this gem!

I saw this twice in IMAX I think I left impressions in the arm rest as I watched this each time. Fun Fact: The end sequence of the space station and capsule entering Earth's atmosphere to Sandra Bullock walking from the water is basically how life started on Earth.

This is one of the 3D movies that deserves to be watched that way. The long takes, especially in the opening, give you the feeling of actually being up there in space. No fast cuts, out of focus backgrounds or hand-held cameras, because the director does not consider the differences to 'classic' cinematography …

For the spacewalking scenes nearly everything on screen aside from the actor's faces is cgi. Completely incredible what was done for this film. If I remember the opening scene is 17 minutes long and it is absolutely spliced together all throughout. Just absolutely excellent work.

It’s better for VFX in 3D. An abandoned format but it really made it come alive ❤️

This is one of those movies you need to see in Theaters to fully appreciate it. Would have been happy if it won over 12 Years a Slave for Best Picture (that was one of the closest years in Oscars ever)

I remember being taught the three types of narrative conflict in school: man v man, man v nature, man v himself. I like how the narrative, much like 127 Hours, uses a conflict in nature that traps a person who has to choose to survive. It’s very rewarding. I’m also not 100% sure what genre this would fall into since it’s not sci-fi due to the existing technology. It’s somewhere between action and horror, I think.

that re-entry scene, chills every time

This movie is spellbinding! And I concur that the angles it was shot at and also the score really made it. Someone said it’s basically a 90-minute panic attack and I can’t disagree. Definitely what I’d call terrifying-beautiful.

Such a great movie. The only film I regret not seeing in the theater.

This is like a slap in face for anyone who dreams of going to space. Imagine having absolutely no control over anything around you and you are almost always at the mercy of this invisible force surrounding you

I'm a real sci-fi film fan, so normally I'm all about the danger, and the exploration. When she's finally back in the warm water, feeling the breeze, and crawling up on that sandy beach, it just reminds me of how much I love this place. Not the people so much, but definitely this enormous ball of rock, and water, and air. Even if I had the opportunity, there's no other place in the universe I'd ever want to live. Not because I'm fearful of what's out there, but because I know it could never be better than what I have right here.

I have never seen a caption on the thumbnail for a video that was as apt as this one. Gravity is definitely a horror movie. I've been a massive nerd for space my whole life. It's beautiful, fascinating, and terrifying all at the same time.

never was a film so scientifically accurate and inaccurate at the same time.

The Dark Forest theory is so terrifying, but also the most interesting theory out there in my opinion. Also It's a great book in the Three Body Problem trilogy.

Alfonso Cauron is one of the greatest directors of all time. His work on this film and "Children of Men," alone would get him there... but, his catalog is consistently outstanding. Also worth checking out these absolutely BRILLIANT films: "PLEASANTVILLE," and "STRANGER THAN FICTION"

Those not so subtle Easter Eggs that Cuaron just puts front and center about the origins of life all throughout this movie is also another incredible aspect of this film and the story that it tells. The shot of that toad emerging from the depths with her at the end is perfect.

If you love space and space movies, I’d suggest “The Right Stuff”. It details the Mercury space program….and the first man to break the sound barrier.

I do NOT like watching films on 3D but THIS is one film that was OUT OF THIS WORLD on 3D !!!! Alfonso Cuarón is a brilliant director. All his films are visiually stunning !!!!!!! The SCORE here is mind blowing !!!!!

When this movie was about to come out I was so hyped because of a) who the director was (Alfonso Cuaron) b) was suppose to look like a 1 shot take for the whole movie c) was going to have revolutionary FXs for an IMAX experience. Watched it on IMAX and this was an incredible, nervous and anxious the whole time. Glad People still marvel at it, but watching it on IMAX is like you are another astronaut floating in space watching this all go down 😂

One reason I love watching your videos is it gets me hyped to rewatch a movie I’ve not seen for a little while. Time to rewatch Gravity!

seeing this in theater back in the day with the sound coming off the big speakers was a one of a kind experience

Watching this on the Imax screen was incredible. The opening made if feel like we were floating in space.

A visual masterpeice.

This is the only movie I ever saw in a theater that I thought seeing it in 3D was worth it. The 3D version was such an amazing experience!

I love films that can show an emotion through the illusion of story: such as Jackie (2016) and Gravity (2013). * Jackie (2016) is about a wife in shock over the death of her husband (in front of her), not about the assassination of JFK. He died in her lap. Nobody would be ok in that situation, not even a high society First Lady. We see everything she tells through her shock/PTSD, even the events much earlier when her husband was still very much alive. She's telling you now, in shock. * Gravity (2013) isn't about space travel, it's about a mother in grief over the death of her child finding the strength to let go (she's continually tethered in the film, and has to repeatedly let go to not get pulled down) and learn to stand up again. She is being weighed down (gravity). Clooney says she has to let go. These two movies are about grief. JFK and space travel are the setting.

It's Alfonso Cuaron - Children of Men, Gravity. Super talented director. He invented new technology to film this

The backstory is about how she overcomes the death of her daughter, and is narrated with touches of poetry

This movie broke me when I first saw it. I was going through a really rough time and the sense of isolation I was feeling in my heart mirrored what was depicted in the film. Like you said, no one will save her but her. and at the end, the sense of gratitude to be back on earth!! I don’t care that I landed in the middle of nowhere, I’m home and alive 🙌🏼 Brilliant film! Enjoyed your reaction 👍🏼

One of the best 3D theater experience I've had and the music is just amazing

Before I saw the movie, I'd heard the ending was "ambiguous." When I finally did see the movie - even though I admired how well it was done - I was confused because the ending didn't seem up to interpretation. I could see how the ending really would've been great if it HAD been ambiguous. I mean, we'd had frequent mentions of Bullock's daughter throughout, and she even describes the way her daughter looked at one point, setting up the potential ending. And so at the end when she improbably makes it to that sandy beach, I assumed we'd get a visual hint that she hadn't really survived. Maybe a figure of a girl in the distance, or a scrap of the daughter's clothing on the shore. But we didn't get anything to make us doubt what was presented to us. It was just a happy ending where she unquestionably made it. The ending felt so much like it was on the verge of giving us the "ambiguous ending," that I've got to assume that the ending originally WAS that way, and the studio convinced them to make a more conventional ending. (I still think the movie is really well done, by the way.)

This is one of the greatest films ever in cinematography. Maybe the most visually stunning film ever.

Just for reference, James, this is the same director who made Children of Men. If you recall, he likes to do long, interesting takes, like the chase scene in the car where you wonder in the moment "how'd they do that?" Same kinda deal here with this movie. Great reaction, to a movie that is deep down about grief, self-forgiveness and overcoming.

I like to set "The Martian" next to "Gravity". "The Martian" is an adaption of an extremely realistic novel that was done very sloppily. If you have read the book or just now anything about rocketry or the science of space you notice that they put tons of inconsistencies into that movie just because they didn't care. "Gravity" comes from the opposite: The mechanics of all that happened is absolutely impossible. But you see that the effort that they put into the movie to make everything look realistic. I absolutely love "Gravity". I think "The Martian" is only so-so. Because I hate sloppiness and love attention to detail.

This movie in theaters was even more of a ride. They got so much right with it.

This film is one of my favorite and one of the best exhilarating theater experience I have ever been. See it at home in already suspenseful, but it's on another level when I watched it in IMAX. Gravity is always top-tier cinematic experience for me.

This film and Avatar are the ONLY two films that 3D truly worked for. If you get the chance to see them in 3D on the big screen, I wholeheartedly recommend you do. Truly incredible to behold.

I LOVE the build ups in the two big scenes. Fantastic work. That second destruction scene is one of the visually craziest scenes in cinematic history. Alongside the big mirror dimension scene in Dr Strange and the subatomic scene in Antman

I brought my friend and Mom along to see this in theaters. It was such a ride.

Alfonso Cuaron is by far one of the most underrated filmmakers in the industry

4:40 to quote Arthur C Clarke, "Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying." I saw this in 3D when it came out and it's one of the few instances where 3D actually augmented the film instead of distracting from it. If you haven't already, you should definitely check out Children of Men by the same director for some amazing one-shot sequences.

One of my three favorite space movies (Gravity, the Martian, Interstellar). My only issue is I wish they looked into the physics of Clooney's "death" scene.

My 5 month old had just been diagnosed with cancer when this came out.....hit me hard He's a healthy 10 year old now that reads over 3,000,000 words per year

i went to see this in the imax with my high school physics class and honestly its one of the best movies i have ever seen

The Dark Forest reference caught me off guard! That's the stuff that keeps me up at night.

i saw this in theaters and was on the edge of my seat the entire time

It was STUNNING in the theater. And I didn't even see it in IMAX. That would've been too much for me, I think. There was one shot that really triggered my vertigo, so conventional was enough. Glad you enjoyed it. Fun reaction.

Going from Children of Men to Gravity is crazy. Alfonso's like no other.

Seeing this post reminded me that this movie doesn’t have a 4K blu-ray release yet. That’s crazy to me!

I saw this movie twice in theaters in 3D THAT WAS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE

Some of the actual technical bits about how things happen in space are just dead wrong - but I hold NO grudges against the movie for taking wild liberties in that respect. It wasn't really the point to _showcase_ the realities of being in space - it only uses SPACE and its dangers as the backdrop to tell the story of the character, which it does so effectively. And DAMN this movie looks so brilliant and is so inspirational just showing us the distant planet we all live on, and what a struggle it can be just to carry on here - but we do. It's fantastic bookending. It opens with a building crescendo of chaotic, deafening sound - and sudden silence. Then the main character then journeys from just wanting to float, weightless, and in silence to shouting to nobody amid a deafening roar as she is frighteningly and painfully "reborn", swims up into the air, and finally actually stands up, weakly, but walks away. I love this movie.

This movie on IMAX was one of the best experiences I ever had in a movie theater, by the end I could barely breath. I only caught it after it was nominated for several Oscars and the local theater started showing it again. Next day I visited my parents and couldn't stop talking about the movie, they got it on demand on their midsize TV, and we watched it after lunch, with the living room reflection on the screen... Still a nice movie don't get me wrong but a completely different experience and nowhere near what I felt the previous day.

Day on which James VS Cinema releases a video is always a good day. I got into reaction videos lately and it blows my mind how many people didnt watch movies that I consider a must watch like Lord of the Rings for example. It always feels good to see people being happy about things that make me happy :)

My guy! Been a while since I've watched one of your reactions. Keep up the good work brotha.

The Behind the Scenes of this film is amazing. The fact that Sandra Bullock had to literally move slower and basically re-trained her body is brilliant.

Great reaction man .. thats exactly how i felt when i first saw it. I probably had my mouth open in awe all the time :) Also was lightheaded after ... hard !

one shot: a typical Cuaron. You probably watched Children of Men -- that's where his insane one shots blew me away.

I love this movie it’s so good!!! Shockingly there’s really no reactions to it this is the first one I have seen and I’m super happy!!

One of my favorite films of the century.

I read an article somewhere (or watched a YT video?) where the director talked about how many different methods he used to create the space scenes. It's not like *everything is CGI. There were a number of shots where he was able to create the illusion of weightlessness with the actors (he didn't use the vomit comet - the plane that goes up and down to ACTUALLY create weightlessness like they did in Apollo 13) using more practical methods. That said, of course, there was a lot of CGI, but the creativity he used to create some of the shots, you should check out. Thanks for watching this one! I haven't seen it in a while and your commentary and enthusiasm for the film make it like I'm watching it for the first time with you. ❤

glad to see a Three Body Problem fan where I didn’t expect!

I got to see this in 3D IMAX, it was one of the best theatre experiences I have ever had!

This is one of my all-time favorite movies!

Appreciated, It took the Best Picture, along with about seven other "Best's" Music Effects, Editing, Direting. All in all, quite impressive. I saw this in the theater, I Max. if I recall. The last scene is so triumphant, it gives me chills. Clooney, was a most welcome spirit.

Same as "Hard Candy" I watched this movie twice in a row I was so amazed by it. Soundtrack and the shots are just way out there. Im a big fan of Sandra too so it all just came together so nicely. The ending is so EPIC.

I hope that your local IMAX theatre screens old movies from time and time, and you'll get to watch Gravity in IMAX 3D! It's a cinematic experience like no other!

Gravity's main point, imho, was to provide an experience. Story wise, the scenario fits on a post-stamp. There also are a number of scientific inconsistencies and such. But yeah, that movie was really meant to be watched in IMAX and/or 3D.

What a great movie, not a dull moment! Great reaction also, thanks!

Originally saw this in IMAX 3D. It melted us. Totally blown away! First movie I downloaded to watch on my Quest 2 once I found that you could watch IMAX-sized films on it in true 3D. Very cool!

One of my little sisters favorite movies. We watched it in theaters.

The worst thing for you watching this movie is that you didn't get to see it on the big screen in 3D, it was something to behold. I love this movie, its subject, the story and pacing, cinematography, the effects and audio, it is all amazing. Definitely check the behind the scenes, pretty much everything that wasn't skin was CGI (wavy hair, gloves, visors, all CGI) and they basically filmed their live shots to follow the CGI instead of the other way around as is normal. Despite its very realistic presentation though there are quite a few conceits that break realism but most help tell the story easier or more efficiently. Nasa would never send a grieving person to space, distances and time were greatly reduced etc. The one that got me though was Clooney's exit stage right. They made it look like he was dangling from a cliff and that threw me out of the movie and shattered my suspension of disbelief because that can't happen that way in space. Fortunately it didn't take too long to be completely wrapped up again in this amazing piece of cinema.

Gravity (2013). The economy of this film is brilliant. 91 minute running time. Gorgeous interludes punctuating edge of your seat -- better hold your breath disaster sequences. Technical fidelities aside, small gaps along the path of the story suggest an interpretation of the film that takes it as the literal presentation of the figurative expression, "her world came crashing down when her daughter died, but she ultimately survived the ordeal as tragic as it was".

i love this movie visuals amd music

Glad you enjoyed this! The Martian would be another really good one to watch!!!

One interesting theory about the movie is this is all in her head as she is in the death throws. The final ship she was in from china I believe is named translated as Heaven and the movie is her coming to terms and going to see her daughter again