re: "Gravity" Tomatometer Thread: 215 Reviews, 98% Fresh

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it's just my personal way of ranking things. it may very well be a 5/5 to other people. im just saying that I, personally, can't give it 5 stars. 5s are reserved for movies that mix story, writing, acting, cinematography, and score/soundtrack together perfectly (imo of course). i never give these out. so, in essence, im not knocking gravity for the light story, i just cant give it a perfect rating.

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Understood.

You can't honestly tell me that you believe that Gravity is more than a solid movie. There's no way. Unless you are going all in on visuals, then there is no way. And even if you go all in on visuals, then there is no way you can rate it better than movies like Avatar or Megamind (which aren't masterpieces by any means) because they are better visuals than this piece.

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Why isn't there a way? So opinions are wrong?

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Any opinion that isn't GCA's is clearly wrong. The guy reads multiple film sites for god's sake. How are we to compete with him?

The people have spoken and Gravity is a huge hit. On track to make around $40-45 million this weekend. Which is amazing considering its $55 million gross last weekend.

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Warner Bros‘ hit holdover Gravity expanded into 3,660 North American theaters and is still in such strong orbit that it’s running rings around newcomers. After making $12.4M Friday (only -30% from a week ago), the space drama should finish with a $40M (and possibly $45M) second weekend and $124M cume through Sunday thanks to an 84% 3D ratio.

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Thanks to those repeat viewings and astounding VFX and great word-of-mouth, this Oscar-buzzed original thriller is on track for one of the year’s top second weekend sales on Fandango. (First is Iron Man 3.) According to Fandango and MovieTickets.com, Alfonso Cuaron’s space thriller starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney accounted for 47%-48% of all online tickets sold from Thursday to Friday. Meanwhile, Gravity‘s global grosses could rocket near $175M in its first 10 days of release.

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LINK

I really enjoyed this film. Visually stunning and very well done.

With that said i actually felt like it needed to be longer. The film really needed about 20-30 mins of prologue to better develop characters and build the story. Felt a bit too forced.

8.5 /10 for me

6.0/10

For me, the most important things about movies are story, acting, and dialogue. Gravity was poor in all three respects. I felt no urgency, whatsoever, in Sandra's plight... her fate never in doubt. Most of the plot details were ludicrous and much of the action was repetitive, but I won't go into those for fear of spoilers. Special effects were this movie's only saving grace, but after Avatar and Return of the King and Toy Story III and so many other what nots... who really cares?

I saw this yesterday, matinee show. I was the only person in the theater, sat very close to the front and watched it in 3D. No distractions. I cannot think of a better way to watch this movie as it really allowed me to be immersed in the solitude and magnitude of space.

All I can say is, "Wow". What a movie. If you don't leave this movie with an appreciation of the depth of the human spirit, you have no soul.

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I felt no urgency, whatsoever, in Sandra's plight... her fate never in doubt.

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Really?

I don't see how Durantula could say there is no character arc. The entire movie seems to be a metaphor for rebirth and the struggle to live. Sandra Bullock starts as a scared, inexperienced rookie with nothing to live for, survives multiple disasters, at one point is floating in a fetal position with her tethers looking like umbilical cords, almost gives up and then survives, rising from the sea as if reborn. Presumingly to live a life where she does more than just go to work and then drive around all night as she did before this experience.

Here is the best article I've read so far that refutes what Durantula and others have been saying regarding the lack of story.

Film Critic Hulk

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WHEN SOME PEOPLE EVALUATE A MOVIE, THEY WANT IT TO CHECK OFF ALL THE BOXES OF RELATIVE GOODNESS IN ORDER TO QUALIFY THAT GOODNESS.

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GRAVITY IS A FILM THAT IS TRYING TO PUT YOU IN A 100% ENVIRONMENTAL AND VISCERAL EXPERIENCE. WE COME INTO A STORY AT A CERTAIN POINT. WE LEAVE IT AT A CERTAIN POINT. IT IS A CONTINUAL NON-STOP EXPERIENCE IN BETWEEN. IT CAN NEVER LET UP FROM THAT. AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS EXPERIENCE IS FOR YOU TO EXPERIENCE SPACE, IN ALL IT'S INFINITE TERROR AND WONDER.

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ANY LITTLE CHARACTER BUILDING NOTES HULK COULD GIVE (AND HULK COULD HAVE A LITANY OF THEM) WOULD SEEM COMPLETELY ANTITHETICAL TO WHAT WAS TRYING TO BE ACHIEVED AT EACH MOMENT IN THAT MOVIE. IT JUST HAS TO STAY ON MESSAGE. IT HAS TO PUT THE EXPERIENCE FIRST. THE BEST WAY TO DO IT IS WITH COMPLETE ECONOMY. HENCE THE EXACT STORY THEY USED. HENCE THE DEAD DAUGHTER. HENCE THE SHORTHAND OF CHARACTERIZATION. HENCE GEORGE CLOONEY BEING THE CALMEST MAN IN THE WORLD. HENCE JUST GOING INTO HER HEAD THAT ONE TIME. HENCE HER REFLECTIONS. HENCE HER TALKING TO HERSELF AND PEPPING HERSELF UP. THESE THINGS ARE ALL BIG OVERT AND ON-THE-NOSE STORY MOTIFS. AND IN A MOVIE LIKE THIS? THEY ARE PRECISELY WHAT WE NEED TO MOVE THROUGH THE BEATS IN THE WAY WE DO. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY THE BEST WAY TO MAKE THIS THRILL RIDE INTO A HUMAN REALITY.

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AND SO WHEN PEOPLE KEEP TALKING ABOUT THE HOW THEY COULD BARELY BREATH DURING THE RUNNING TIME OF GRAVITY AND THEN CHASTISE THE STORY, THEY ARE DEFINITELY MISSING THAT IT WAS THE STORY THAT ALLOWED THEM (OR IN THE VERY LEAST, WASN'T AN OBSTACLE IN ALLOWING THEM) TO HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE.

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