Check out Slant's science-y nit picks.

There is no character. Bullock is merely an avatar for the audience. She is broad enough to be a pair of pants that any audience member could put on.

Only if he didn't survive.

Right again.  I was being too quick at being pithy.

How little training do you think they do at NASA? The third phase of astronaut training is three months long all by itself.

I would have preferred Charlize Theron, TBH.  She.s a tough as nails actress who is also decent at showing flawed strength / strong weaknesses.

@avclub-d80126524c1e9641333502c664fc6ca1:disqus She also loses it for a bit in the American capsule, which i wrongly called a shuttle, when it ricochets due to parachute.

It's soft sci-fi. It deals with science-y fiction, but is far more concerned with humanity and philosophy.

@avclub-0f0d67e214f9fef69b278e3d08114da9:disqus I stand corrected…

It was a combo of bad. She wasn't great in it (I am not a big fan of her panicked girl mode), and the character was terrible.

What about her curling up and wanting to die in the space shuttle. Or her panicking and hyperventilating for about 2/3 of the movie. She loses her shit all through the movie. She rarely stops panicking.

@avclub-a4461b9dbd372a66b6b80eb3b3e7fd01:disqus  and @waxlion:disqus , Sandy was fourth choice for the role.  So, there's that…

I dunno, John Travolta's hair was pretty badass in Swordfish.

Since this is spoiler space, can we talk about the terrible physics and other unrealism here?  Like how she is able to re-enter the atmosphere without either burning up and exploding or bouncing off, which are actually concerns.  Or, how apparently all space stations are at the same elevation, and along the same…

Only without sex, comedy, or heavy metal.

Actually, Keith Phipps also says that it has a bad script.  In his non-review article about Gravity, he calls it Movie: The Ride, saying it's in no small measure because of his contempt for the terrible script.  And, the script is terrible.  Terrible.

If you can't stand Bullock, which a lot of people can't, this is an actual point of contention. Especially since she was fourth choice for Cuaron.

I have the exact same problems as you had on this film.  It was outstanding until it wasn't.  I was sucked in to this world, until it went twee and Hollywood at once in the second half.

The script needed an edit.  Not for dialogue.  Not for characters.  It needed less to have a story that was set from point a to point b.  It should have meandered where it was pointed.  And, I think it was the instinct that this needed a story that was the worst aspect of the movie.  It was otherwise so well drawn and…

Also, April's dress this week was like a remake of Michael C's dress last week…as done by an amateur Tim Burton fangirl. I'm surprised Michael C didn't bitch about it as he has been all season. It wasn't a complete rip, but it had enough to certainly be deemed Trainspotting.