The Major (Minor) Problem: A Cop-Out Within A Cop-Out
Now I see this as nothing more than a small nitpick, because in a film with so many outstanding positives (most of which I couldn't fit into this article), I had to find that one element that took me out of the experience a bit. And by a bit, I mean no more than a few seconds. The major problem here is when Kowalski shows up outside of the evac module after a time where he would surely be lost forever. When he nonchalantly opens up the air hatch and allows himself inside, unbeknownst of Ryan's safety, and explains himself by beating a record and retrieving a bottle of Vodka, it alls seemed rather fickle to me. Then after revealing to Stone that although she's out fuel that the re-entry rockets are still an option, I put my hands on my lap and went "I can't believe it. That's a cop-out." I was honestly amazed by that, and kind of upset. But when it's revealed yet again that Stone imagined Kowalski, that he was nothing more than psychological warfare, it shows an emotional crag with Ryan that helped boost the story even higher on a personal and affecting level. But it got me again that, out of the blue, Ryan knew what to do after Kowalski disappeared, even after taking and failing the simulation multiple times. Then I said "Okay, so it's a cop-out wrapped in a fake cop-out." I'm probably over-thinking it way too much, and I'm sure I am, but I had to choose one element to fit the needs of the article, although I wish I could disagree with it. I compare this "cop-out within a cop-out" like a single piece of spice on a medium rare steak: the steak itself is juicy with a ton of flavor and sustenance, but with more than a tiny sprinkle of spice that slightly overbalances the flavor. In other words it's not a problem, because the steak is just way too damn good. With 2013, we're once again given a film that stands out, even if this year did have some big disappointments. But Gravity proves that creativity still exists when we thought that film nowadays were running out of unique ideas and concepts. And with Gravity we're greeted with one of the best films of the year. When I first saw the trailer, I knew it was Oscar bait right away because Sandra Bullock and George Clooney were cast, which means it's an easy Oscar nomination for them and ignoring all the other potential of the year (I'm not the biggest of fan of Hollywood in general, for I believe they're bias as all hell). But after seeing Gravity, I can gladly agree it should win Best Lead Actor, Best Visual Effects, Best Drama, and Picture of the Year. It's
that good. For those who have seen Gravity, what do you think? Is there any other positive element that should have made the list? Or was there in fact something that threw you out of the experience that is actually a problem? Feel free to discuss it below.