Gravity [Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray] [2013] [Region Free]

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Alfonso’s skilful depiction of the catastrophes, covering every minute procedural nuance, is exceptional and may grant him an Oscar nomination, but the lack of interesting characters, decent performances or narrative drive make it far from the masterpiece the world is suggesting. Not only can no one hear you scream but they also can't hear the high-speed bullet-like impact of debris tearing through your ship and leaving you stranded in the great abyssal vacuum. It’s only fitting then, that Warner’s two outstanding video presentations are exceptional, sheer picture perfect majesty.

Structurally, the film suffers from repetition in the second half and the finale is somewhat convenient and implausible, however overall it manages to achieve what it sets out to do – giving the viewer a visceral thrill ride and the approximation of an experience one might not otherwise be in a position to have. Clooney’s character is way too relaxed, jovial, even blasé about the duo’s predicament to elicit any genuine concern over their possible fates.This is to say nothing of the individuals who built Bullock’s wire-rig harness for her sequences inside the International Space Station, which was a 12-wire rig that had to be molded to fit her body exactly, with three wires attached to computer controlled servomotors. Gravity' is one of my favorite cinematic experiences of the last few years, thanks to tight scripting, bold filmmaking, and master craftsmanship. Over the next four years, that image evolved into Gravity: a breathtaking cinematic marvel, a stunning technical achievement and an incredibly powerful human drama worthy of winning every one of the ten Academy Awards for which it's nominated. The director was thinking about the movie in the multi-dimensional format with every shot, and it shows. In his films, no matter how elaborate or action-oriented, the best thing he accomplishes is getting to the emotional core through subtleties in the performances of his actors.

It was a basic, high concept: throw a couple of stars in space, introduce them to peril and watch in hope that they will overcome adversity and make it back to earth, and in the skilful hands of director Alfonso Cuaron the idea became tantalising. The sound design on Gravity is also outstanding, eschewing the standard intentional cinematic ‘flourishes’ of most space-bound features – which almost universally rely on space sound to drive home the effect, even though there would be almost no sound – and instead relying on precision moments and a stunning score to drive the piece.Despite the occasional bolt or tear drop spinning towards you, most of the 3D on display here is subtle and far from gimmicky. Gravity' orbits onto Blu-ray with nearly three hours worth of special features (including HD Exclusives).

And Cuaron knows very well how to create incredibly tense scenes; moments which will literally have you white-knuckling the arm rests while yelling at the screen.

Detail is remarkably well-resolved too, with crisp, clean edge definition, wonderfully revealing fine textures and stunning close-ups. On the 2D Blu-ray disc (only), you'll find a host of first rate extras covering every aspect of the film's production. Since we’ve started publishing these To 3D or Not To 3D reviews, which goes back to 2010, only three other movies (Legend of the Guardians, Hugo, Oz The Great And Powerful) have gotten perfect scores, which puts Cuaron in a special class.