James Cameron has called "Gravity" the best space movie ever made.
After screening the new movie, Cameron was in awe and said that he had wanted to see a movie like "Gravity" for many years. He told Variety, "I was stunned, absolutely floored. I think it's the best space photography ever done, I think it's the best space film ever done, and it's the movie I've been hungry to see for an awful long time."
The "Avatar" director also clarified that what he enjoyed was not the technology, but the characters and filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron's vision. He said, "What is interesting is the human dimension. Alfonso and Sandra working together to create an absolutely seamless portrayal of a woman fighting for her life in zero gravity."
Cameron continued: "I read the script, and I thought it was tremendously challenging to shoot with a high degree of veracity to get the real look of zero gravity." Cameron also said that he recommended Cuaron to use performance capture but Cuaron opted out of the technology. Cameron said, "I'm sure Alfonso had a real uphill battle with the studio, with everyone involved, to get it the way it needed to look. But he knew in his mind how it needed to look, and he went after it."
The director also praised Sandra Bullock's performance. "She's the one that had to take on this unbelievable challenge to perform it. [It was] probably no less demanding than a Cirque du Soleil performer, from what I can see. There's an art to that, to creating moments that seem spontaneous but are very highly rehearsed and choreographed. Not too many people can do it ... I think it's really important for people in Hollywood to understand what was accomplished here," said Cameron.
"Gravity" recently made its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival where it received rave reviews. It later screened at Telluride and will soon arrive at the Toronto Film Festival. The movie was directed by Cuaron, best known for "Children of Men" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." Warner Bros. will release the film on Oct. 4.