Movies-TV

Gattaca

I thought this movie had a really good story to it and a good message. I won't say what the stroy is or the message cause some people might not have seen it yet. The only thing that I didn't really like was the always dark scenery, but it was a good film.

Intense and mesmerizing

I think everything that could be said about this movie has been said by the other reviewers. I just wanted to add that even when the story itself is interesting and well developed enough to sustain the movie, the actors certainly do a marvelous job in all their parts specially Jude Law as the cynical,crippled "valid" that finds redemption too at the end of the film. His final words : I only lended You my body, You gave me Your dreams... It's worth the viewing itself....

Sci-fi possibilities?

Gattaca

Andrew Niccol makes his film début with Gattaca (1997). Born in New Zealand he is also a screen writer and director. He directed TV commercials in London before moving to Los Angles, where he felt that he could do something with more substance than commercials. Niccol actually made our deepest fantasies come true with this sci-fi thriller film. One is reminded of Orwell's book 1984, which also delves into the mind of the devious, not to mention Lois Lowry's book, The Giver. Both authors, along with Niccol give us glimpses into a futurist world where society is stratified; life is pretty much predictable for the privileged, those not so well endowed have to scrounge for their very existence. The message here is that we need to face our deepest fears and conquer them. We have the means at our disposal to do anything that we want or put our minds to do.

Niccol's use of dark and light portrayed sinister happenings, which had to be hid from the authorities. The hiding in the shadows, added to the drama of the situation where Vincent (Ethan Hawke) was almost caught by his brother, in a nightclub, where by societal standards he was not allowed to be as an invalid. Vincent found that he was able to achieve his dream, though not without help along the way. Even though he lived in a closed society, he managed to escape from living the life of the marginalized.

One of the two major thoughts that came from this movie for me is how we as a society are not really that far from the practice of eugenetics. Eugenetics is the practice of genetically altering the gene pool, DNA of a species. While this film shows that practice in the form of shifting out unwanted traits; i.e. obesity, and other harmful physical conditions, one thing that could not be genetically altered was the spirit or soul of the individual. Each person is an individual which thinks differently and uniquely from any one else. The possibilities are endless, especially since this technology is already in use for cancer treatments. But reality also shows that not everything shows up in the genes of individuals.

The other thought brings into focus much of what has been happening in the development of identification technology. The use of lasers to identify individual through their eye imprints, is now available in certain secure government facilities. The future may be nearer than we think.

Stylish Sci-fi thriller whose true horror seems to be lost on most people

I was intrigued by the cult popularity of this film and the fact that so many people seem to think this is one of the best films ever made. Frankly, I struggled to sit through the whole thing and I had to fast-forward through the ponderous stair-climbing scene."Gattaca" is reminiscent of 60s sci-fi horror films with its sterile atmosphere and melancholy characters. It's hard to relate to people with absolutely no joy in their lives. Ironically, in watching the first act of the film a second time, I thought the central character seemed happier in his life as an "in-valid." Our hero's quest seems a bit far-fetched for the price he has to pay and, for the audience, the outcome seems like a foregone conclusion; lacking the impact of a twist ending in comparable films like the original "Plant of the Apes" or even "Soylent Green." The subtext of sci-fi horror elements, such as invasive background checks and medical testing by employers as well as discrimination based on genetic attributes don't seem all that horrific because, sadly, they have been widely accepted business practices for some time.I'm amazed to see so many reviewers comment on the "revelation" that in the future employers will discriminate on genetic perfection rather than traditional prejudices such as race, sex, etc. Numerous studies have confirmed that "good looking" people have better jobs and earn more. Men who are less than 6' tall earn more than shorter men, for example. Employers are often impressed with dubious measures of intelligence like college degrees, grades or standardized test scores.I was also struck by the obvious incongruity of a world where both physical and mental perfection are prized, yet the demands of the career seem to require neither. How much physical perfection is required to sit at a computer keyboard? The work itself is obviously a white collar clerical job with the computer doing the serious mental work. We know it's clerical work because the filmmaker shows him in a cliché clerical setting: sea of cubicles with employees working like disposable, interchangeable parts in a large machine. A future where the best and brightest have only mindless bookkeeping tasks to challenge them is the real horror in "Gattaca."

Futuristic man is not who he seems.

In a future world a child's DNA will dictate health, IQ and life expectancy. "Valid" humans having the best of job occupations, while the "In-valid" are considered more or less damaged goods. Vincent Freeman(Ethan Hawke)has always dreamed of working in the aero-space corporation Gattaca. Technology and a fraction of his future earnings allows him to assume the identity of a superior "valid" Jerome Morrow(Jude Law), who now is a crippled former Olympic swimmer. Vincent gets the job he wanted hands down and is excelling rapidly in the social caste system and even falling in love with a co-worker(Uma Thurman). A high ranking director at Gattaca is bludgeoned to death with his own computer keyboard. The murder investigation puts the assumed Jerome's destiny in danger. A few surprise elements add a twist to this clever Sci-Fi thriller. Rounding out the cast are: Gore Vidal, Alan Arkin, Ernest Borgnine and Xander Berkeley. Kudos to director Andrew Niccol.

Gattaca: 7/10

There are a select few movies you are able to watch in school. Not only must they be appropriate to show in school, but they also must protain to whatever the students are learning. Ergo, about every student in a certain subject watches the same movie. That's the case with biology and Gattaca. It's centered around science, it's PG-13, and it's not boring; what else could you want in a movie to show to highschoolers?In the near future (a time period too often used), most parents decide to have children genetically, so they can alter features both internal and external, to make perfect children. Some don't, though. Those that are genetically created are called "Vailds"; sexually created, "In-valids". Clever, ain't it? An In-valid, Vincent (Ethan Hawke), always dreamed of becoming an astronaut, but couldn't because he was to die at about his 30th birthday. He finds a way, however, by changing identities illegally with Jerome (Jude Law), a brilliant scientist who is now reduced to a wheelchair. In addition, people think that Vincent killed someone at Gattaca, the space station. Did he? Will he successfully go into space?Futuristic movies are always fun, especially ones that actually could happen in the future (which is not the case for the epitome of sci-fi films, 2001: A Space Odyssey), and the possibility of genetically altered children is not far off. And thankfully it stayed plausible: oftentimes movies like this can get carried away in making a special effects show to lose whatever credibility or actual movie-going experience there was before. There were few, if any, effects here, which is a change to science fiction films. It's just a science fiction drama.Having recently learned about DNA and all in biology, I thought that the movie would have more about it, while about the only thing to it is how the DNA nucleotide letters A, T, C, and G are emphasized in the opening credits. DNA isn't really explained much in the movie, but I digress. As interesting as the concept is, Gattaca takes a while to get going, and it seems like a lot of the picture was missing from the full-screen DVD we watched. In addition, many of the characters are extremely undeveloped and exist only to either hurry the plot along or to spew out pithy quotes. And the worst part is, most of those characters are played by great actors, and they don't even get to act. What a waste.Don't let that last paragraph fool you, though. Gattaca is an entertaining drama, and it explores something that will most likely happen soon. If you aren't forced to watch it in school, I recommend it for something interesting to watch.My rating: 7/10Rated PG-13 for brief violent images, language, and some sexuality.

Quietly Entertaining

A great, understated, low-key film that is intelligent and philosophical. The filming is beautiful, austere without being cold, and nicely uncluttered. Ethan Hawke turns in a nice performance as a normal man battling his natural genes and the society that rejects him because of them. He has an easy chemistry with both his co-stars, Uma Thurman, who is perfectly believable and looks convincingly like a genetically engineered human, and Jude Law, turning in an effectively heart-breaking performance, and a spoilt, genetically perfect man, who nonetheless cannot live up to his potential.

One of the better futuristic films

Gattaca is a very good film. It has a well-executed plot, which could have gone horribly wrong if interpreted incorrectly. The directing is wonderful, as is the set design. Everything is pristine, peaceful, and perfect, just like the society they live in is supposed to be. I'm not an enormous fan of Ethan Hawke, but he did well in his role. I am not a fan of Uma Thurman, and I felt she was utterly unnecessary and seemed to practicing impressions of Data instead of Irene, the character she was playing. A character I really loved was by an actor I am unfamiliar with: the real Jerome Marrow as played by Jude Law. Law stole every scene he was in, so much so that I found myself getting irritated when he was not on screen. Law allowed his character to emit such deep bitterness, then slowly allow it to grow to tentative hope in the success of his plan. I hope to catch more films from this actor. Gattaca is definitely not perfect, and one of the more prominent problems is the limited amount of society you do see. I would have liked to see other aspects of society as it functions daily. An interesting film to rent, if you ignore Uma Thurman.

Visually stylish, but with plot holes

I'm sorry to say that this movie didn't hang together. It was visually and musically perfect, and the central relationship between the Hawke and Law characters was excellent, but the technical side was very faulty. A society that's paranoid about identity testing by DNA, yet always uses the same fingertip for blood samples and takes minimal precautions for urine sampling, so that the hero can easily trick the tests? An exercise tolerance test beatable by faking the heart rate recording (like you could also hide breathing rate and sweating)? A serious congenital heart defect that allows vigorous exercise because the plot requires it? Space missions with astronauts wearing business suits? This is a common problem with SF films: a good idea distorted into some kind of arty allegory because its makers weren't prepared to think through and portray realistically the technical practicalities of its hard-science premise.

Sloooowwww

What a disappointing movie. Rushed out for the DVD version, as usual the technical quality was superb, but the film was a let down. The film seems awfully slow and without any real atmosphere.So bad infact that I didn't bother to see it through to the end - almost a first for me!

Sci Fi? SCI-FI?!!

Don't think so. Not even close. No hardware. And it had an austerity and surrealistic feel that didn't serve to further the plot. You would think that Gore Vidal would have chipped in a little dough for a more realistic spaceship at least. I mean, like ANY spaceship. I think we deserve that for sitting through the movie. Hey, that's the only reason why I sat through it. I was thinking to myself, man, there's GOTTA be a kick-ass ship at the end of this turkey. But there was nothing. To add insult to injury, the damn astronaut wore a leisure suit on the ship. (Oops! Sorry if I SPOILED anything for you.)OK, some scenes of suspense were done well, granted, but the plot was claustrophobic and unbelievable. And, speaking of Gore, I figured something weird was up when, in the first five minutes, not only were we introduced to the gay-famous Vidal as a main character, but a white-coated lab technician with a clipboard feels the need to comment at length on the "package" of astronaut Ethan Hawke. My suspicions were confirmed- the film maintained a vaguely homo-erotic tone throughout, and, guess who the hero turns out to be? A waste.

Not so much science fiction as human drama and prejudice in a science fiction setting

Gattaca is not so much science fiction as human drama and prejudice in a science fiction setting.I had never heard of Gattaca until it was recommended to me by NetFlix. Gattaca is a great movie. Apparently it was not a box office success, but I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes drama and speculative fiction. Some other comments compare it to Blade Runner or 1984. Gattaca is thought provoking and stimulating without being over-blown with special effects and the idea that mankind is doomed to destroy itself.I like the soundtrack; it is not a collection of pop songs or attempted futuristic designer songs, it just fits.I won't recommend, as some comments do, to watch the movie several times to pick out gaffes. Just watch it once and enjoy it.

merveilleux

a voir et revoir..

Film that brings you to the stars & beyond

Having been told by several friends of the great handling of the theme purported by this film, I finally got to watch it in its entirety on the tele just this evening. I must say that the praises lavished were truly deserved & I would no doubt be getting the DVD as well.

I think on first viewing, the film actually hit me more on an emotional level than intellectual, especially at the very end when the protagonist Vincent finally achieves what he had set out to do, despite pre-determinations to the contrary. It does inspire and also makes you think about the possible alternate future that we may have in the 'segmentation' of humans or the self-created rationale for further discrimination (as if we haven't already got enough of that in our time).

The descent of Jude Law's character was supposedly meant to show that no matter how talented a person is (genetically determined or otherwise) it doesn't matter so long as the heart & mind are not there; that it's coupled with a sense of destiny or vision that drives the person toward his desired goal.

A great film that deserves repeated viewing, especially for the superb acting by all involved.

GATTACA - Worth watching again and again

This movie is rife with symbolism. I show it to my biology classes every year. After seeing it 6x per year during each class, for eight years, it never ceases to amaze me how I see something new and different each time I watch it. This year, I noticed the themes of swimming and stars:SWIMMING: Eugene - an Olympic swimmer; the swimming competition between Anton and Vincent-- and later Anton working out in a lap pool because he has never come to grips with the fact that Vincent beat him swimming. I wonder why the swimming theme was used in the screen play? My students have hypothesized that perhaps it means a "baptism" or "cleansing" but that's all speculation.STARS: "Reach for the stars" -- setting high goals for yourself and working to achieve them. Stars are shown several times as they gaze into the sky Titan is the destination -- a moon of Saturn which appears as a star in our telescopes Astronauts "They say every atom in our bodies was once a part of a star. Maybe I'm not leaving, maybe I'm going home." -- a quote by Vincent.Last year I realized for the first time the names of the characters: "Eugene" - or "True Gene" "Eu"= truth and "gene" = to create or to cause.Vincent's last name is "Freeman" ... free from being a prisoner of DNA as he escapes its grasp and uses his spirit and determination to succeed. (I felt stupid never thinking about those names before.)The more you watch the movie, the more you begin to see.My students' favorite part every year is how the silver medal turns "gold" as seen through the flames of the incinerator.Age discrimination is another theme that is subtle. The "in-valids" they are testing in town are all older fellows, the killed director was young, his replacement under him, was old. The detective was older, and his boss Anton, was young.

Inspiring,

This movie is an ingenious masterpiece. The plot and story are excellent. It doesn't seem like the desperate attempt of a con man to acheive the ultimate goal of perfection but looks like the attempts of an artiste to create and complete his work of art and fulfill his artistic desires with integrity.

Slick, very intelligent sci-fi.

It's too bad that the movie previews (trailers) didn't do a better job selling this fine piece of work. There are shades of Orwell's "1984" running throughout this picture, and some of the science `fiction' has already been realized. And what hasn't, is so obviously just around the corner. Its basic plot is about haves and have-nots, called `valids' and `in-valids' respectively. A child who has been altered genetically (and to be as near perfect as possible) is a valid, while a child who hasn't been altered is an in-valid. The story centers on two brothers, one a valid and one an in-valid. We follow the in-valid as he strives to enter into a secured space program that is only eligible for the valids. What he has to go through to keep his secret puts the viewer on the edge of his seat. The stark cinematography enhances the entire film. Although a few events seemed contrived and there were a couple of plot holes that one had to gingerly step over, all-in-all it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. Between 1 and 10, "Gattaca" gets a solid 8. I wish more sci-fi films could be done as intelligently as this one. There wasn't a ray-gun in sight!

Held me spellbound through repeat viewings

Gattaca is a brilliant film that really swept me off my feet.Niccol's vision is completely realistic in the light of recent achievements in the field of genetics. It is quite time the general public sat up to the realities of genetic engineering, the new power that we are discovering and could subsequently abuse. And having a beautifully crafted and thoughtfully scripted film about something other than city-chomping, genetically mutated monsters does help. Especially when it also deals with deep human themes and raises relevant questions about ethical issues and when it is loaded with fascinating symbolism and subtext enough to keep the reflective viewer occupied long after the final credits roll.Another thing about Gattaca that endeared it to me: the profound emotional impact it has, especially with the help of the excellent musical score. It wrung tears out of my eyes, and after the crying I found that the film had awakened dormant intellectual and artistic instincts within me. I had never before managed to appreciate the finer aspects of filmmaking. It led me on a meaningful journey of discovery and insight, and stirred by Gattaca, I asked myself questions I had never bothered about before.Now, as I mull over the richness of the film, I realise that Niccol has created a masterpiece, extraordinary and deserving of more attention than it got. (Which was an outrage, considering its depth. Or maybe it got way out of depth for some?)Before watching Gattaca I had the idea that movies basically served as amusement options on boring days, to be enjoyed for the brief 1 to 2 hours of their duration and later to be forgotten. Needless to say, after my first viewing of Gattaca, enough of my old conceptions were blown away to drive me to the video store again and again. Watch and be prepared to think, or you'll be missing the best part of it.

A great science-fiction film for thinkers

Gattaca is a wonderful film that is likely to earn more respect and recognition as time passes. This is thoughtful science-fiction at its best. Stylish and credible, Gattaca is vastly under-rated. I give it my highest recommendation.

Gattaca's greatest power may be its ability to inspire. Many are certain to walk away from this film with the feeling that they really can make a good run at their dreams, no matter their background or supposed limitations.


As we get deeper into the 21st century with all it's gifts and burdens, humans may find that they need the human spirit more than ever to cope. (to be clear, by "human spirit", I mean imagination, ambition, drive and our knack for achieving "impossible" goals)

This is an eye-opening survey of prominent historical figures who did not believe in a god. Readers are sure to find many surprises here.


Haught is the editor of West Virginia's largest newspaper. As a seasoned newspaper man, he knows how to skip needless words and get to the point. He packs a lot into this book. Read and be enlightened.



--Guy P. Harrison, author of


Race and Reality: What Everyone Should Know About Our Biological Diversity


and


50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God

This is Science Fiction!

Gattaca illustrates the very fact why I like science fiction. The following are either explored or accepted as fact: . DNA sampling. retina scanning. abuse detection (but cohol and smoking are alright). genetic enginering. space travel (1 year round trip to Titan!). social acceptance of deviants (either physical (criple) or in their DNA) Gattaca takes these premises and explores some ramifications of it. It plunges you into a society where at any point your body may be examined (You are obliged to bleed, piss, or open your mouth (but not for free speech!)). Tests are infallible and when tested after birth (if natural) you are designated to a certain society level. This society also discriminates: if you are a DNA defunct you no longer have access to top jobs. Given the above, someone (who doesn't live up to the standard) tries to follow his dream and uses illicit means to do so. A nearly perfect DNA sample has broken his back and is restricted in a wheel-chair (Ah, a question here: society also dislikes invalids? Here the premise breaks down, his genes are still very valid. Even if a body breaks, cannot the genes propagate? In stead the genes are used to perpetrate a scam). So here we have a society striving for perfection and en individual trying to be good in that society. And then the plot thickens: there is a murder. Perfect society is not perfect! The rest of the film unravels as any detective story, although it tries to take a very high-brow and mono-chromatic approach at it. And, trust me, my-opics can cross a road (even at night) without glasses! And the surprise ending is: I will not spoil it, but for me the film should have ended sooner and left a far more sinister near-future. All in all this was a look into a what I would say is a fascist/totalitarian society. Absolute control and unless you don't live up to certain measurements, you are not allowed in. Recently the US has introduced bio-metrics to people entering their country. Watching Gattace made me think. (Read the above paragraph). I have to re-watch this to see how the color scheme works. Given the tension the protagonist and his accomplice are under, the lack of emotion is understandable. And given the intrusive society, this also extends to all the other characters. We all walk in the different societies we live in, but whatever society we live in, you cannot keep us down. I recommend this film for any one who is interested in seeing how society changes with science. Another film coming to mind is Soylent green. ***1/2 out ****