I know we've hashed it out on the subject of CGI a fair amount before, but here's something I'm not sure I asked you. Could you articulate why the insistence that CGI only be used when necessary would be that different from people in the past saying to only use color when necessary, or that graduating beyond the talkies was blasphemy?

My thinking now is that it's always awesome when directors like Nolan can achieve the highs (or even go beyond them) with practical effects alone, but there's no reason to not do something wonderful on top of what he or another director has already created just because the shot would hinge on a little CGI use. And I know I'm repeating myself on this last point, but I just feel as though there's simply no knowing how much more impactful certain movies of the past might have been (especially for viewers like myself) if their directors had had the same tools that Cuaron was working with in making Gravity.

Great piece as always, Simon! This was a fun one to read.