About the line “you’re no Maria”

I saw a comment about this and I thought I’d elaborate on it. But even though the line hits really hard and deep. I think it made a slightly lesser impression on the general audience. What we the fans know about Gerald and Maria, know that Gerald went cataclysmic after her death. Spending several years developing a cure for her, only for her to be killed in cold blood.

But in the movie, I’m not too sure if that was properly conveyed. We knew nothing about Gerald before the incident, nor did we even see him and Maria in the same room (aside from the obvious). So as the audience, we don’t know what kind of relationship he has with Maria other than blood.

We can’t tell if Gerald had a meaningful connection with Maria. Or just went “oh s*$&” because of bring your granddaughter to work day. And the way he interacts with Ivo, he doesn’t seem to care (but this could be explained off because of Jim’s acting). The writers strike did impact the film, so I’ll give the writers some slack. But I do think it’s a genuine critique, that I feel can be fixed with the next instalment.