leburger

Usually IMDb scores are more or less spot-on. Really generic pieces never break 5 or 6, blockbusters are up there at 7-9, total rubbish gets down voted rather quickly, and so on. There are instances, though, when the score is completely off. This is one of them.

This movie has several strong points, some of which have already pointed out in the other reviews.

The photography and camera work are remarkable and professional-- beautiful colours and tones, scenic forest shots, etc. The acting is organic and down to earth, the two young protagonists feel like real people, and you can easily connect with them. As for the plot, it's a mystery--we know just as much about what is happening as the characters, and that isn't much, to be fair. Instead of a clear narrative, we're given symbols (enchanted garden, princess, etc) and a lot is left for the viewers' imagination. Everything about the forest is shrouded in a lore of secrecy and mystery. Instead of the spoon feeding that is so common to movies these days, I find it nice when the audience can use their own imagination from time to time. As for the general tone of the movie, it was well-balanced--it was grim when needed, but it also had many lighthearted moments due to the synergy between the protagonists.

I don't know, but I guess people had problems with the storytelling in this movie. I'd advise you to forget what you have seen before and take the movie as it is. There's much to it, really.

I do not think the current rating (5.7) does this film any justice, furthermore, why so many negative reviews?

Seyfried does a wonderful job (her character comes out very natural, and she is definitely of an 'empowered female type'); the film is aesthetically pleasing, an eye-candy, if you will, especially if you watch it in HD (beautiful tonality and photography), and the tempo is neither too slow or fast, and the plot is pretty thrilling and suspenseful. Obviously, you could argue that this cat vs. mouse theme the movie deals with is not something too novel, but then again, you cannot continuously invent new topics which will remain fresh forever, especially when it comes to the thriller-genre. In fact, the character Seyfried played destroyed all clichés associated with the 'victim' role by demonstrating that a kidnap victim does not always have to be weak, troubled and demure kind, and that he/she can actually take control of things.

So please, cut the film some slack, and take another look at the films that are being shown in the cinemas--a countless number of bad comedies, dull action films and remakes of the European cinema (how original)--compared to which Gone is actually pretty nice entertainment. This film is not going to win any Oscars, but it is far from bad, in fact, I'd say this is one of the best recent thrillers with amazing acting from Seyfried.