10-15-2013, 03:55 AM
(10-14-2013, 04:29 PM)kandrathe Wrote: I'm just the type* of person who, when I see a movie (any movie) or read a book, MUST go back, do research, and scrutinize it for accuracy. In that regard then, movies that are obviously fictional frivolous romps require little work on my part (e.g. LOTR - except for comparing to the book version). Movies that attempt to be accurate require work for me to separate the truths from the untruths. Otherwise, I am concerned (worried) that my knowledge of that actual topic will be prejudiced by fictional theatrical bravado (e.g. The Help, Argo, The Butler, or most anything with Kevin Costner in it...). I believe that the more realistic the movie attempts to be may aid it in deceiving people about other more important truths. For example, this one. It may suggest to a vast number of people that space is far more dangerous than it really is, and that the people that work to get people there take more irresponsible, and more unreasoned risks than they really do. It may create unrealistic fears about sending more people into space, something I would venture all of us "sci-fi" type people are wishing were more possible.
I can easily separate realism from movie magic. All I ask with a film like this is that they at least try to explain why something outlandish might technically be possible. Arthur C. Clarke used to provide little footnotes in his novels about how some of his sci-fi could be possible. I liked that. It doesn't need to be 100% feasible - just throw me a bone and I'll separate from reality and go with it for the sake of movie enjoyment. Heck, I even enjoyed The Core.
The astronaut Mark Kelly was interviewed on TV about what he thought of Gravity, and he said he enjoyed it. He said the visual portrayals were pretty amazing and very realistic. He also said that if it was 100% accurate it would have been a terrible movie, because most of the stuff that happens in orbit is incredibly boring.
The most recent film I scrutinized for accuracy was Secretariat. It was a movie I watched by accident, mostly because it was in the blu-ray player and I was bored. I really liked it though. I had, of course, heard of Secretariat, but I really couldn't believe that this magical horse accomplished what he did as portrayed in the movie, so I googled it. It turns out that the movie was pretty dang accurate.