Yesterday, word hit the trades that James Cameron absolutely loved Alfonso Cuarón’s upcoming movie, Gravity. So much so, in fact, he offered this lofty praise: “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 last time Cameron gushed so much about a movie, he was probably talking about his own creation, Avatar. While it’s doubtful Gravity gets the same kind of box office Cameron is used–although, one can hope–it’s hard not to share in the excitement, especially after the trailers are viewed.
Thanks, however, to the new 2-plus minute trailer and Cameron’s reaction, it’s hard not experience something of an excitement increase for Cuarón’s new movie. Gravity looks like it was a visually stunning exercise in storytelling, complete with Cuarón’s signature long shots. According to Sandra Bullock, who plays Ryan Stone, some new techniques had to be used for the film:
“There was no way to rely on anything we knew before this film,” Bullock says. “No character was like Stone, no film set was ever like these sets, not one member of this crew had ever done this before. We all were doing something that had never been done before.”
While that may read like typical movie promotion hyperbole, another quote from the movie’s director reveals making Gravity was a long process:
As fellow director David Fincher warned Cuarón and his cinematographer, Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, the technology to make that movie simply didn’t exist yet. He advised them to wait five years. “We were stubborn, (and) said we’re going to make it work,” Cuarón tells Variety. “But you know what? David was right. It took us 4 [and a half] years.”
With that in mind, perhaps Cameron’s glowing report isn’t just hyperbole after all. Gravity will be in theaters on October 4th.