'Gravity' May Give New Life To Sandra Bullock's Career [REVIEW]

There's not much I can add to the glowing praise that has been heaped on Alfonso Cuaron's hit film Gravity. The tense, beatiful - if slightly nauseating- thriller is a film that must be seen in theaters to be fully experienced and will likely leave several members of the cast and crew with more statues on their mantles than they had previous. One thing that other reviews seemed to miss, however, is that the film (despite the setting/main antagonist being cold, lifeless and absolutely terrifying outer space) is very much about reincarnation. It is fitting then, that the film will likely breathe new life into lead actress Sandra Bullock's career.

(WARNING: HERE BE SPOILERS)

Bullock plays Ryan Stone, a depressed and green medical engineer who is out on a spacewalk with Commander Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) and Specialist Shariff (voiced by Paul Sharma) when disaster strikes. Stone and Kowaski are sent spiraling into space by an unexpected cloud of debris. 

Once Clooney's grizzled space veteran character catches up with the out-of-control and hyperventilating Bullock, he tethers their suits together and guides them back to their craft. Along the way, we learn that Stone is spiritually dead, her life essentially ended upon the death of her 4-year-old daughter. The audience watches as Kowalski navigates Stone through space, a stand-in for the spirit world/afterlife. (If you think I'm stretching, you should know that the title cards even tell the audience "Life in space is impossible").

The duo's trip back to craft forces Stone to confront death both literally (she comes face-to-face with recently deceased astronauts twice) and metaphorically (via the questions of Clooney asks about her daughter).

Clooney's character has made the trip into space many times and, mirroring a common idea that pops up in religions that feature reincarnation, chooses to stay behind to help guide Bullock toward her eventual rebirth. He detaches himself from Bullock so that she may reach the ship's airlock before the oxygen in her spacesuit runs out.

(Eagle-eyed viewers will note that once Bullock reaches the craft, she curls up into a fetal position with a conveniently placed tether standing in for an umbilical cord. A filmmaker as gifted as Cuaron didn't do that by accident, Bullock is in a literal womb after a metaphorical conception, the first step toward being reborn.)

Kowalski even appears as an actual spirit at one point to save Stone's life after she has chosen to give in and stay in the dead emptyness of space. He provides a crucial piece of information that allows Stone to return back to Earth (the physical world, in this case) and take her "first" wobbly steps.

That's not to say that the film can't be enjoyed at surface-level. Cuaron has crafted a gripping, unsettling and smart action movie with the incredible backdrop of the Earth from orbit. It's mesmerizing whether you want to probe for deeper meaning or shut your brain off and enjoy some slick entertainment.

However, this movie and it's particularly potent central metaphor could not have come at a better time for Bullock. The woman who began her career as a likable action-movie lead and gradually progressed into more and more goofy, prat-fall-filled romantic comedies is making a case for a new lease on her career, arguably in the same place she started.