Content area
Full text
It's science fiction, but not really. If s à female action-hero mo^ie, but not exactly. Ifs a blockbuster, but not like other blockbusters. MYKË, BARTLETT considers what to make of this somewhat abnormal but fantastically * entertaining Hollywood product.
In time ways, Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, 2013) is an unusual blockbuster. It's a ninety-minute thriller in which we only see the faces of two actors - one of whom spends two-thirds of the running time talking to herself. It's a science fiction movie in which the stress is on the science, rather than the fiction. There are no aliens and no fantastical gadgets, the plot hinging on a simple premise that real-life astronauts reportedly find all too convincing. Even more notably, this is a big-budget, sci-ñ thriller in which the lead character is a woman - one allowed to display a balance of weakness and strength, rather than subscribing to the gung-ho stereotype that has long been shorthand for a 'strong female character' in such genre pieces.
GENDER ROLES IN SPACE
For all of its subversion, Gravity starts in well-trodden territory. A small group of astronauts work to make repairs to the Hubble Space Telescope, with our planet providing an awe-inspiring, if familiar, backdrop. Our hero appears to be veteran, archetypal astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) - a charming, alphamale raconteur. He is utterly relaxed about the mission at hand, zooming about with his jet pack, listening to country music and mixing anecdotes with tech talk. This is a man be trust to look after us when the inevitable (being a work of fiction) disaster occurs. The casting of Clooney is perfect, as he seems to reflect an idealised, nostalgic brand of American masculinity once epitomised by actors such as Robert Redford, Paul Newman and Harrison Ford - men who could be at once intellectual and rugged. Indeed, his repeated catchphrase, I have a bad feeling about this mission', seems to be a deliberate attempt to invoke Star Wars' Han Solo (Ford) - a move that, in itself, seems designed to remind the audience of the sort of sci-ñ film this isn't.
By comparison, Sandra Bullock's Ryan Stone is an uneasy fit. While Kowalski might remain calm in the face of peril, she is...