The 70th Venice Film Festival officially commenced.
As the opening film, "Gravity" made a dazzling debut, grandly raising the curtain for the seventieth-anniversary celebration of the festival. Whether it was the thunderous applause that lasted fifteen minutes or the lingering crowds who refused to leave after the screening, all signs indicated that this work had instantly become one of the year's most highly anticipated blockbusters!
Unfortunately, because "Gravity" was not part of the main competition, the official schedule did not include a media review session, depriving the film of a platform for immediate professional critique. As a result, public reactions remained fragmented and couldn't coalesce into a unified critical perspective.
To some extent, for most viewers, although the film garnered positive word of mouth, it lacked substantive critical discussion. The movie retained a certain mystique, its enigmatic aura lingering, which only heightened anticipation.
In reality, the first wave of praise had already arrived via Twitter and Facebook:
"Undoubtedly the best film of 2013!"
"Every frame is a visual feast; it's the most spectacular cinematic experience since 'Avatar'!"
"Fantastic! Brilliant! Incredible!"
"The best movie-watching experience in history? That's debatable. But the best since the turn of the millennium? Without a doubt!"
"Perfection! From directing to acting, from script to visuals—absolutely flawless!"
"The right way to defy gravity: go to the cinema, choose IMAX 3D, and truly experience the charm of film."
"Ahhhh! The best of the year! Absolutely! Words can't describe it!"
"If someone asks me why I watched the whole movie on my knees, you'll understand once you enter the theatre."
"Standing ovation! My personal best of 2013! Even though Renly Hall already delivered the brilliant 'Inside Llewyn Davis,' the impact of 'Gravity' is still irreplaceable."
"Let's all witness Renly Hall's second Oscar run! Thank you!"
…
The overwhelming praise swept across social media platforms, generating over a hundred thousand comments in just twenty-four hours. It wasn't just the audience at the Venice Film Festival in Venice—even those waiting patiently in North America were getting caught up in the frenzy.
"Welcome to Toronto, Renly Hall!"
"I'm prepared to queue for forty-eight hours! I won't rest until I see 'Gravity' in Toronto this year!"
"Six days left! Now I finally understand what it means for time to crawl! Someone save me, I really want to watch 'Gravity'!"
"Ready! Venice's message has been received. Now it's Toronto's turn to shine!"
"Is it really that good? This is definitely the most anticipated movie of the year! 'Inside Llewyn Davis' hasn't even officially premiered yet, and now 'Gravity' is here too? I'm so excited!"
"What do I do? My hands are already shaking! Young Master Renly is coming to Toronto!"
"I heard Toronto media outlets are scrambling for screening slots, and reporters are even starting to argue. What about us? Will we even get to watch it this year?"
"New York viewers said: 'We're heartbroken, there are still three weeks to go.'"
…
The film received unanimous acclaim, with overwhelmingly positive feedback from the premiere audience. The positive buzz was unprecedented, surpassing even the media screening reactions for "The Avengers" the previous year. It easily became the most discussed film on social media in the past year.
It was hard to imagine that "Gravity," which hadn't been highly regarded during its preparation stage, had transformed into the year's biggest hit within just twelve months.
However, upon closer analysis, this outcome contained an element of inevitability.
Over the past twelve months, from "Edge of Tomorrow" to the EGOT grand slam, from "Inside Llewyn Davis" at Cannes to "Gravity" at Venice, Renly's standing in the industry had undergone a three-tier leap. He was now an indisputable top-tier actor, with influence and appeal in the market reaching unprecedented heights.
To date, including his lowest-grossing film "Detachment," Renly Hall maintained a record of consistent quality in his works, making him arguably the actor with the most discerning eye for scripts in the industry. His achievement of an EGOT in just three years was by no means accidental.
To put it bluntly, even if "Gravity" turned out to be unsatisfactory—even worse than box office disasters like "Cutthroat Island" and "Waterworld" that set records for losses—audiences would still be willing to take a risk and go to the cinema just to see how Renly faced such a career setback.
This was the extent of Renly's absolute dominance in the North American market right now—at least in terms of buzz and anticipation.
Moreover, with "Gravity" receiving rave reviews at Venice, expectations naturally soared, and the film became the most talked-about topic on all major social media platforms.
But how much of this buzz would translate into box office revenue? And how much of the praise was genuine? These were questions worth pondering.
As was well known, when major film studios launched their promotional campaigns, they would release press materials to varying degrees—especially for internal screenings, press screenings, and fan screenings of comic book adaptations. The initial reactions were almost always overwhelmingly positive, but often lacked substance. It was more of a promotional strategy, as studios and distributors needed positive word of mouth to create hype and excitement.
The most obvious example was Marvel movies. Each time, the early reactions on social media were always along the lines of "Marvel's best yet," as if each installment was constantly improving and upgrading. But even the most die-hard Marvel fans knew this wasn't entirely true. Everyone had their own preferences, and tastes naturally differed. Moreover, it was nearly impossible for a film series to improve with every new entry.
But as time passed and platforms like Rotten Tomatoes opened for reviews, the true nature of the work would gradually be revealed.
Although "Gravity" was screened at the Venice Film Festival, where the audience and media were generally more reliable, it was only the opening film. Therefore, some of the praise might have been exaggerated. If one followed the current trend of reactions, "Gravity" was almost certain to be crowned the "greatest film of all time"—which was obviously an overstatement.
Therefore, for most viewers, it remained shrouded in mystery.
The frenzy on Twitter represented the trending nature of the internet and smartphone era. The subsequent media reviews would bring more objective scrutiny, weighing both praise and criticism to help audiences make more accurate judgments before entering the cinema.
Although "Gravity" was not in the main competition, as the opening film of the 70th Venice Film Festival, it still garnered considerable attention from authoritative media outlets. Combined with the regret of missing Cannes and the buzz from two earlier private parties, almost all journalists turned out for the premiere night. Their feedback was slightly delayed, but it arrived as scheduled.
"This is the most perfect exploration of the balance between commerce and art since 'The Dark Knight.'"
A single sentence conveyed two key pieces of information: "The Dark Knight" and "perfection." Even without reading the full review, one could clearly sense the critic's excitement and admiration. And when noting the author's name and the publication it came from, the weight of this comment became even more astounding.
This was a film review by Michael Phillips, the renowned film critic for the authoritative trade publication *The Hollywood Reporter*. He generously offered his highest praise, clearly and unequivocally expressing his admiration and fondness.
In "The Dark Knight," Christopher Nolan explored the definitions of justice and evil with profound gravity. The interplay among the three characters—Batman, the Joker, and Two-Face—vividly illustrated this philosophical proposition, creating an insurmountable milestone in the history of superhero films.
However, to emphasize the complexity and philosophical depth of the story, Nolan had to sacrifice some of the fast-paced, high-impact moments typical of commercial films. This placed greater emphasis on the film's artistic qualities while slightly diminishing its commercial appeal. Nevertheless, Batman's inherent comic book fanbase compensated for this shortcoming. Nolan's efforts and attempts were undoubtedly commendable.
In "Gravity," Alfonso Cuarón used a light yet profound approach to explore philosophical themes such as the origin of life and the meaning of existence. Furthermore, he found a delicate balance between commerce and art, making the film-watching experience a true pleasure.
The streamlined narrative preserved the dramatic ups and downs of a commercial film to the greatest extent, while the precise pacing seamlessly connected climaxes and buildups, making the entire viewing experience thrilling and suspenseful.
At the same time, the meaningful composition of the visuals and the nuanced performances subtly integrated character and story, theme and reflection. The philosophical undercurrents were both pure and profound.
Commercial simplicity and artistic depth—seemingly contradictory—achieved a harmonious balance in Alfonso Cuarón's hands, truly reaching the pinnacle of cinematic art. Perhaps it wasn't the most outstanding commercial film, nor the most outstanding art film, but it was undoubtedly a prime example of a commercially successful artistic film.
A careful reading of Michael's word choices reveals that he didn't spoil the plot or dissect the film analytically. Instead, he focused on presenting a profound viewing experience from the audience's perspective and praising the film on objective grounds. This, in itself, was one of the most successful and touching aspects of "Gravity."
And that wasn't all!