Gerald's Game

Stephen King is at times a brilliant writer, and most of his novels give a home-bred 70's vibe. There's the presence of raw indecency and rotten attachments right beside the gore, and this movie is very good at portraying that.

I started watching this movie expecting to get bored at some point, because Gerald's Game is an odd pick of a novel to make into a film. A lot of the story revolves around the heroine spending hours alone and restricted. In a book, the writer has the freedom to play around with memories and weave them into the present, but was the director going to be able to do that?

The answer is, yes, he is, and he does that very well. Kudos to a thoroughly entertaining experience, whether it was the 80's gore effects, the commendable acting of Mr. and Mrs. Gerald, or the shifts from almost comedic to certainly nauseating scenes.

The only thing that bothered me was that the cinematography was a bit dated, and nothing creative. But it doesn't mean that this movie is not worth the watch, and it will be even more enjoyable if you haven't read the book!

Masterpiece. The last ten minutes were brilliantly executed. This director's work is definitely on par with Frank Darabont's movies. Every sequences of the novel is present in the movie. Acting is delivered at its finest. Netflix need more Stephen King adaptations like this one. A must watch for everyone.

-Dude from Blossomsoft

Worth the watch. But not for the Marvel/Star Wars crowd. As you can probably tell from the reviews, there were not enough explosions or CGI to keep most people entertained.

The second I saw the trailer for this movie it grabbed my attention purely because I wondered how the hell a 1 hour 43 minute movie could built upon the premise of a woman being handcuffed to a bed. But Gerald's Game proved me wrong.

There are so many hidden aspects of this movie that you just don't expect. Carla Gugino's performance as the main character, Jessie, is fantastic and she manages to carry the movie practically all by herself. Jessie's character is slowly dissected throughout and it's living through her struggles - past and present - that keeps you hooked and wanting to watch more.

The relationship between Jessie and her husband Gerald is authentic and believable. Even the character of Gerald (played by Bruce Greenwood), who was in the movie for a very short period of time, brought an element of fear and tension to the movie, when his sexual preferences suggest there may be a more sinister side to him.

Admittedly, it is slow in parts and there are areas where it starts to drag, but ultimately it's an engaging movie throughout. By delving into Jessie's psyche it has you doubt her mental state and what is real and what isn't, but also allows viewers to form a connection with her and sympathise with her as a character.

The ending has a twist that I didn't see coming, which I'm still unsure about. Was it genius or was it silly? I'll let you be the judge of that. Personally, I found it interesting although it didn't necessarily fit right with the rest of the movie.

The only reason this gets 7 stars is because of the slow pacing in places, lack of build-up and slightly unsatisfying ending.

I quite admittedly avoided this one for a bit because I thought it would have to be masterfully finessed to keep this storyline contained in a single room while keeping my attention. I was not wrong... they just did in fact do it exceptionally well.

This movie is engrossing and atmospheric, throwing you head first into her mental and physical struggles. They do a great job of making you feel like you are, in part, experiencing it first hand. This is done with its clever editing along with the high caliber of acting. Both main characters did an exceptional job, truly. Especially the wife, high emotionally intensified scenes are not easy and she did them at great length and with prowess.

I would say my biggest gripe with this was the ending. It felt very "adapted from a book". It went from a storyline within action, to a spoon fed monologue narrating the aftermath for quite sometime in fact. I didn't dislike the way it actually ended, just the way it was executed. Overall this felt like something quite original and different, would recommend.