Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Crisi]

Hello,

Could anyone explain what 'gratuitous' means in this context:


Man: Too violent for you, was it?

Woman: Quite the opposite. I mean, at first there was the usual dose of gratuitous violence - basically what you'd expect from that type of film, and partly why I went to see it. After that, though, not a great deal happened.



What does she want to say? - I feel that she contradicts herself by saying that this was partly why she went to see it. - If she hadn't said that, I would have thought it ment superfluous, unnecessary...

Thank you very much in advance for shedding light on the matter.

Crisi

[Lorikeet]

It seems like the woman enjoys films with a lot of violence that isn't necessary to the story. I agree with your assessment of "gratuitous" as "superfluous" or "unnecessary".