# Gravity! \[open spoilers\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950 "2013-05-10T01:41:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/201 "2013-10-11T19:05:47Z")
So - who wants to lay odds that this will go _Titanic_? I.e., go big and long, with some folks seeing it many times in a sort of super-movie cult. It will definitely clear $1 Billion worldwide. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/202 "2013-10-11T19:28:54Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Saw it. Agreed with those who call it a game-changer. No one is discussing the 3D - i.e., dissecting it’s “integration” with the rest of the movie. That was _seamless_ with this movie. It was a game-changer in the immersiveness of the experience. How did I not comment on this? I’ve only seen 2 3D movies in the theater, this and The Hobbit. The Hobbit cinematography was so bad it put me off 3D, but I thought I’d try it anyway for Gravity, and holy cow! I never noticed it, if you know what I mean, but it really made space feel like it had texture. So cool. > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > As for her fetal position in the ISS, I don’t think that was meant to be symbolic in any way other than to show that she was utterly spent physically and emotionally and at that point just wanted to curl up and rest. > [@Munch](#): > > Oh, I don’t know about that. I’m usually the first to scoff when people start reading into things way too much, but that scene was pretty blatant. If that scene wasn’t meant to evoke a fetus, then nothing in the movie meant anything other than it’s most literal, surface level interpretation. And for a movie that relies so heavily on myths and archetypes, that seems entirely implausible. > [@WordMan](#): > > And please: with the various floating tubes - could they _be_ more umbilical?! You don’t haveta be Fellini to see this (paraphrased from George Carlin…) I’m going to appeal to authority here! Of course I had to google _sandra bullock gravity fetal_, and on the first page I found this interview Q&A from Cuaron: > [@](#): > > **I hope this doesn’t come across as sort of vulgar, but watching the film, I couldn’t help wondering: Did you ever consider a different ending? Did you ever consider killing Bullock’s character?** > > [Laughs.] It’s always a temptation — and then you finish the movie and go with credits in silence. It’s the easy way out. Because, you know, it’s like when you are a film student; those are the endings that you make. I was more interested in another ending. For me, there was an ending and the ending was: She walks. It’s the first moment in the film that you see her walking. The film was a metaphor of rebirth; literally, at the end, she goes from a fetal position [earlier in the film, when she floats after undressing in the space station], then in the water [shot at Lake Powell, Arizona, with significant postproduction alterations to make it green and lush and butterfly-filled], to come out, crawl, go on her knees, and then stand on her two feet and walk again. It’s like pulling Marshall McCluhan from the wings, I tell you. 🙂 But that aside, in the language of cinema it’d be hard to read that as anything other than symbolic, even without Cuaron’s comments. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/203 "2013-10-11T19:29:52Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > So - who wants to lay odds that this will go _Titanic_? I.e., go big and long, with some folks seeing it many times in a sort of super-movie cult. It will definitely clear $1 Billion worldwide. It’s big, and obviously a lot of people love it, but I don’t think it will resonate emotionally in a comparable way, for reasons demonstrated in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/204 "2013-10-11T19:36:44Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > It’s big, and obviously a lot of people love it, but I don’t think it will resonate emotionally in a comparable way, for reasons demonstrated in this thread. It will resonate _differently_, certainly - this is a Female / Human Survivor vs. a Romance. The question is whether that message will get traction with girls, or if not them, another group. When the US Women’s Soccer team won the World Cup it was huge for a good length and still resonates. **Maeserschmidt** - thanks; seemed pretty obvious, in a good way. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2013, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/205 "2013-10-11T20:41:01Z")
Fascinating review by Stuart Klawans in the Oct. 28 _The Nation_, although alas it seems to be subscribers-only. Worth picking up a copy on your local newsstand or in your therapist’s waiting room and turning to page 33: > [@](#): > > […] The audience, though, may experience Bullock’s struggles in _Gravity_ another way: as the occasion for ninety minutes of pure exhilaration. > > It all depends on how strongly you respond to the way motion pictures move. […] You could say, without abusing the term, that you are witnessing a revolution. It’s the overthrow of your normal understanding of how films are put together […] > > Kubrick simply offers you more substance; and in the future, when the wow factor of _Gravity_ is diminished, as that of _2001_ has faded now, the imbalance between the two films will be even more obvious. > > Still, I would hate to make _Gravity_ sound like nothing more than a technical achievement. The film does have a theme—call it the worthiness of human burdens, or the heroism of standing on your feet—and uses the marvels of its imagery to drive that meaning home, just as surely as it uses your reliance on ordinary thinking to make itself seem astounding. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/206 "2013-10-13T02:53:56Z")
So - that’s it? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/207 "2013-10-13T14:26:10Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > So - that’s it? To respond to my own post - no, apparently not. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Gravity will earn $45 million this 2nd weekend - a not-quite 18% decrease from it’s opening weekend. Apparently that is by far the lowest decrease for a movie that earned more than $50 million opening on a non-holiday weekend (the Incredibles decreased 29% and was the previous best). > **[Box Office: ‘Gravity’ Rockets Towards Record $45 Mil; ‘Captain Phillips’ Eyes...](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/box-office-gravity-rockets-record-648049/)** > > Alfonso Cuaron's space epic is enjoying one of the strongest holds in history for a non-holiday; Tom Hanks starrer "Captain Phillips" earns an A CinemaScore, while Robert Rodriguez' "Machete Kills" bombs. This thing has legs, I tell ya. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/208 "2013-10-13T15:06:21Z")
I liked it a lot but can anyone tell me why Marvin the Martian killed all those astronauts? ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/209 "2013-10-13T16:07:33Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I liked it a lot but can anyone tell me why Marvin the Martian killed all those astronauts? They made him very, very angry. I actually liked the “thin” plot. It told the bare minimum story we needed without padding it with fluff. I thought it was great how it started right away in zero-g, and the entire film took place in it (no scenes back on the surface), all the way until the ending. Then we as an audience could share the relief of Bullock’s character as she returns to the normal Earth environment. It does a good job showing that most of the universe is that weird, unforgiving environment where things move in unexpected ways, and when Bullock finally makes it to the ground, it almost seems exotic and new. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/210 "2013-10-13T16:15:39Z")
[Here](http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/mark-kelly-gives-an-astronauts-view-of-gravity/2013/10/11/2b4e5e6c-3286-11e3-9c68-1cf643210300_story.html)’s a review of the movie by Mark Kelly, former astronaut and husband of former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. (In short, some inaccuracies but he liked it.) ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/211 "2013-10-13T17:09:24Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Agreed. Layers! … Yep. Or as we say in the hood, “There’s levels to this shit.” Anyone who can look at her floating in that fetal position with that serene ass fetus look on her face, umbilical cords abound, and not see more than just a ‘cigar’ is just INCAPABLE of ever seeing symbolism in anything EVER. They lingered on that shot forever…it really was like a hammer to the head. Could the shot have been a tribute to Space Odyssey’s star child ? I peeped the ‘earth legs = evolutionary triumph’ angle too. Again, they really beat you over the head with it, what with the musical score building to a grand crescendo and the camera angle making her look like a Amazon god. ETA: or to quote WordMan, making her look like a Marble Statue ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/212 "2013-10-13T18:13:12Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > To respond to my own post - no, apparently not. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Gravity will earn $45 million this 2nd weekend - a not-quite 18% decrease from it’s opening weekend. Apparently that is by far the lowest decrease for a movie that earned more than $50 million opening on a non-holiday weekend (the Incredibles decreased 29% and was the previous best). > > [Box Office: ‘Gravity’ Rockets Towards Record $45 Mil; ‘Captain Phillips’ Eyes $25 Mil](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-gravity-rockets-record-648049) > > This thing has legs, I tell ya. > [@WordMan](#): > > So - who wants to lay odds that this will go _Titanic_? I.e., go big and long, with some folks seeing it many times in a sort of super-movie cult. It will definitely clear $1 Billion worldwide. I’ll be surprised if this reaches $700M worldwide, but I’ve been wrong before. ---
**Author:** ![Polerius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d78d45/32.png) [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/213 "2013-10-13T19:11:58Z")
Does anyone know if it was realistic that she wore a bra? I would think female astronauts would not want that hassle/annoyance when wearing a space suit. Overall, a great movie (if you ignore some plot/realism issues), and a great departure from all the super-hero movies which seem to have dominated cinema in the past couple of years. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/214 "2013-10-13T19:27:50Z")
> [@Polerius](#): > > Does anyone know if it was realistic that she wore a bra? I would think female astronauts would not want that hassle/annoyance when wearing a space suit. > **[Do Female Astronauts Wear Bras in Space?](https://www.thecut.com/2013/07/female-astronauts-wear-bras-in-space.html)** > > Short answer: Yes. They do. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/215 "2013-10-13T19:31:15Z")
Update: heard interview of Cuaron on NPR’s _Studio 360_. He said the limitlessness of space is meant to be a metaphor for our internal Existential feelings. When faced with the never-ending challenges of Life, we all have moments where we’re profoundly alone. Deep shit, eh, **Nzinga**? And as for a bra - meh. Sandra Bullock is beautiful and fit and easy on the eyes in her skivvies, but there’s little/no sexual vibe to it. Heck, she coulda been naked for the Fetus scene and the Emergence/Statue scene and they might’ve been more effective, from a Rebirth POV without being prurient. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/216 "2013-10-13T19:42:03Z")
Absolutely. That she was not nude was a commercial concession. ---
**Author:** ![Annie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Annie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/217 "2013-10-14T05:21:45Z")
For those who have seen CoM: both movies have lead characters plodding through life after the death of a child and find purpose in a journeyed fight to survive. However, CoM is told from the POV of the rescuer, and Gravity, from the POV of the rescued(leading to her becoming the self-rescuing). Another notable difference: we never saw Clive Owen in his underthings. :mad: That fetus scene, though- three thoughts while watching it:[ol] [ul] [li]Well, that ain’t subtle, is it?[/li][li]but then again if I’d gone through all that, I’d have myself a nice relaxing float too[/li] [/ul][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/218 "2013-10-14T09:56:02Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > JTechnically the movie is a masterpiece. The CGI work is amazing - I totally believed every second of it. I don’t know if any of it was shot in the ‘vomit comet’ in real zero-g, but I couldn’t tell the difference be You didn’t notice how her hair wasn’t affected by zero-g at all? Same thing with the book she was casually flipping through? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/219 "2013-10-14T11:41:58Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Absolutely. That she was not nude was a commercial concession. :mad: Commerce be damned! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950/220 "2013-10-14T12:33:41Z")
> [@Red\_Barchetta](#): > > You didn’t notice how her hair wasn’t affected by zero-g at all? Same thing with the book she was casually flipping through? I didn’t - those things didn’t register/take me out of the movie. I expect to see it again - haveta see if my awareness of the issues will make me notice them more. I also want to absorb the first shot, which felt expansive, but I hadn’t fully processed was a single shot lasting ~15 minutes, according to that interview I heard… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gravity-open-spoilers/657950.md?page=12)