The Venice Film Festival opened on Aug. 28 with Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" inaugurating the event.
Both Geroge Clooney and Sandra Bullock were present for the premier of the film, which received excellent reviews. Todd McCarthy of the Hollywood Reporter stated: "At once the most realistic and beautifully choreographed film ever set in space, 'Gravity' is a thrillingly realized survival story spiked with interludes of breath-catching tension and startling surprise."
Justin Chang of Variety also liked the film: "[A] white-knuckle space odyssey, a work of great narrative simplicity and visual complexity ..."
Rochard Corliss of Time Magazine said, "If the film past is dead, 'Gravity' shows us the glory of cinema's future. It thrills on so many levels. And because Cuar‪ón is a movie visionary of the highest order, you truly can't beat the view."
Meanwhile, the Guardian gave the movie four stars out of five and wrote: "A brilliantly tense and involving account of two stricken astronauts; a howl in the wilderness that sucks the breath from your lungs."
The Atlantic's Jon Frosch also praised the movie. "A master class in fluid camerawork, bold, unfussy imagery and special effects that put most recent Hollywood blockbusters to shame."
Mark Adams of Screen International praised the performances. "Cuaron's exhilarating and often spectacular 3-D film is a real pleasure, driven by top-notch lead performance from Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as well as some seriously cool special effects."
Robbie Collin of the Daily Telegraph was similarly stunnned and gave the movie a perfect score. "With nothingness pressing in on all sides, in a place where the grip of someone else's hand is all that keeps you from the void, life really does seem like a miracle."
"Gravity" is directed by Alfonso Cuaron and stars Clooney and Bullock. The film is set to open on Oct. 4 and is rated PG-13 for intense perilous sequences, some disturbing images and brief strong. Warner Bros. will distribute the film in 3-D and IMAX.