I am totally prepared to be eaten alive by comments on this post — okay, not really, but I want to express my opinion anyway.interstellar

I went to see the movie Gravity with high expectations, having heard so many good things about it. I was seriously disappointed and, in fact, bored for most of the movie. Yes, bored.

It was a story of survival. For Sandra Bullock. There was lots of action and spectacular special effects. And um, that was it. I didn’t see much of a story arc in it, and I don’t even remember her character’s name.

I was leery going into Interstellar, afraid that it was going to be more of the same.

It was a story of survival – for our main characters and the entire human race. There was lots of action and spectacular special effects. But there were also CHARACTERS who had story arcs. They interacted with each other. Their stories entwined. I cared about Coop and Murph and Brand – both Brands, in fact. I liked the parts about multi-dimensional theory, since that ties in with my own WIP BRANEWORLD, and while I admit there were some predictable parts, overall I really enjoyed the story.

GravityFor me, characters are everything. Without them, there is no story. Interaction is important, yes, but I liked Cast Away a whole lot better than Gravity, and Tom Hanks had no one to interact with except a soccer ball. But it was still a better story, because Chuck Noland had a substantial character, whereas Sandra Bullock just panted a lot and got lucky that her clunky space gloves were able to hang on to stuff.

Okay, pelt me with tomatoes if you must – but what do you think makes a good movie? The plot, the visuals, or the characters?

This is my last post until December, when I will be back with First Impressions.