I also found Captain Phillips to be an extremely well made, utterly engrossing and emotionally draining thriller. It says a great deal for Paul Greengrass's direction that the initial attack on mission by the Somali pirates had me gripped, wondering if they were going to take the ship or not!
I only found out about the controversy after seeing the film so it didn't spoil my enjoyment of one of the best films I've seen this year. Like the end of United 93, there were moments of breathless tension and suspense, even though I knew the ending of the story. I also felt Tom Hanks gave one of his career-best performances.
Gravity is a completely different type of film, albeit one principally set in the action and thriller genres. I thought it was beautifully filmed and, because the scenario is plausible (China has shot down at least one satellite in orbit with a missile), I felt it made the film so much better than some of the more recent sci-fi action thrillers.
Sandra Bullock is known of picking turkeys but, with this and The Blind Side, it seems her judgement is improving as she ages! Her performance impressed me as it displayed her range and acting skills I didn't know she possessed. In terms of the 3D, this is the only film I've seen where I thought the stereoscopic element added to the viewing experience as it made space seem huge, things floating in zero gravity (including tears) to have – and I know this doesn't make sense – a greater presence and weight. That said, my brother saw it in 2D and said it was really good and couldn't see how 3D would have made it any better.
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