Rating: 
Summary: Intelligent script
Review: Superior Sci-Fi thriller about an 'advanced' future society in which genetic hierarchy is established - leaving an inevitable underclass to pay the price . Application and ambition are immediately negated by poor genetic makeup. Good schools reject kids with high probability of illness because of the lack of insurance cover. Companies refuse to invest in employees with poor health 'expectancy'. 'Genetisism' is rife , people are no longer defined by their virtues or abilities but damned by their genes. Beautifully understated, it has intelligent dialogue (which I wont spoil by quoting) and a Micheal Nyman soundtrack that will break your heart. The acting is excellent. Ethan Hawke is both inspiring and endearing as the 'Inva-lid' who conquers not only a prejudicial system but the determinism imposed upon him by nature. However...Alan Arkin as the chillingly efficient Police detective betrays the absurdity of Hollywoods own hierarchy by convincingly acting the pants off most of todays 'A - list'.
The film owes some of of its aesthetic beauty to Frank Lloyd Wrights architecture - its a testament to his futuristic vision that a building designed and erected by him in the 1950s should be an appropriate setting for 'Gattaca' , a film not only shot in 1997 but depicting a future possibly a hundred years from now. This film gets better with repeated viewing so buy the video - and dont let it sit on your shelf gathering dust (or eyelashes).
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Idea Turned Movie Mistake
Review: Gattaca. Wonderful idea turned terrible movie mistake. While the basic idea nad theme of Gattaca are spectacular, this film has a very poor plot, and so so acting. Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman do not shine in this movie sa they have so many others. This film grows old quickly. Half-way through the film you are bored to tears, by two-thirds through you want your money back. What happened with this movie?
Rating:
Summary: Beauty and Brains.
Review: Beautifully understated. Some very intelligent dialogue (which I wont spoil by quoting) with a Micheal Nyman soundtrack that will leave a lump in your throat. The acting is excellent. Ethan Hawke is both inspiring and endearing as the 'Inva-lid' who conquers not only a prejudicial system but the determinism imposed upon him by nature. However, Alan Arkin betrays the absurdity of Hollywoods hierachy by effortlessly acting the pants off most of todays 'A - list'.
The film owes some of of its aesthetic beauty to Frank Lloyd Wrights architecture - its a testament to his futuristic vision that a building designed and erected by him in the 1950s should be an appropriate setting for 'Gattaca' and a film not only shot in 1997 but depicting a future possibly a hundred years from now. This film gets better with repeated viewing - so buy it and dont let it sit on your shelf gathering dust (and eyelashes).
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: I rate this film excellent! I do not know if it proves that we have a soul as others suggest, but it does present some very good ideas about the future. After all, "science fiction is not the future, it's a twisted view of the present." If you like this be sure to grab the soundtrack as well, which is impeccable at recreating the scenes you see in the movie. The quality of the symbolism in this movie is unmatched in any other movie I've seen before. The producers and directors did a great job with this, and it is the perfect chance for a great story to shine through. As an idea, this movie excels in all aspects. All in all, fascinating camera work and excellent locales. One particular scene will leave you blown away. Science fiction used to be called "science romantic" for good reason. I've found that all science fiction tends to involve a typical romance of some kind, whether it be a love for the future or a sexual relationship, but mostly it's a love and passion for new ideas that can truly change the world around you. This film does not stray from that. Even if you've seen clips of that one genetic-related scene shown on Charlie Rose 4 times, this film won't disappoint.
Rating:
Summary: Simply a masterpiece
Review: Ingenious. Possibly one of the most underrated films of all time. I praise Niccol for the script. Ethan Hawke & Jude Law have their best roles in this film. The acting, directing, script, everything is just perfect. This film definitely transcends the sci-fi genre. It is real, believable, a peek into our future if our handling of genes gets out of control. For anyone who looks for great movies, this is one of best!
Rating:
Summary: keep an eye on Andrew Niccol
Review: In the not too distant future, a young man, Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), dreams of escaping from Earth and rocketing into outer space. But Vincent is genetically flawed--he's got a bum heart and a life expectancy of just 30 years--in a world where such human frailty is no longer the norm and no one's about to waste precious resources on an astronaut with less than an optimal genetic profile. In order to get around his all too human limitations, Vincent swaps genetic profiles with Jerome Morrow, (Jude Law), a genetically-designed and nearly perfect young man, embittered by the accident that left him wheelchair bound. The achievement of bio-engineered superiority for some has naturally created a bifurcated society, with the elite gripped by paranoia about inferior "degenerates" trying to pass themselves off, so Vincent's deception requires him to sneak Jerome's urine into sample cups, to wear false fingertips with Jerome's blood for identification pinpricks, even to salt his workstation with Jerome's hair and skin flakes. Even with all that he still has to deal with the suspicions of an arrogant launch Director (Gore Vidal), a watchful staff physician, and a beautiful fellow trainee (Uma Thurman). The situation becomes even more fraught with danger when a murder occurs at Gattaca and two cops begin to haunt the place. All of this works well enough as a mere sci-fi thriller but writer/director Andrew Niccol, who also wrote The Truman Show, is after far bigger fish. What he gives us here is a timely and thought-provoking argument against the idea that genetics is destiny. Just as he showed Truman's seemingly perfect world to be anti-human, he shows here that the utopian quest for physical "perfection", because it can not account for the human soul, must result in a dystopic nightmare. A few of the really fine touches here are the set designs which are cold and sterile; the general absence of women, who will be selected out in a world where fathers can always choose to have sons; Vincent's birth scene, when his own father, realizing him to be an "unsatisfactory" heir, decides not to name the boy for himself; and what is, I think, the best scene in the film, when the genetically perfect Jerome reveals that he envies Vincent's natural birthright, the unengineered will that drives him. This is a profound film. It sounds a too seldom heard cautionary note about the limitations of science, even as it celebrates the limitless human spirit. At one point the Director says : "No one exceeds their potential. If they do it just means we didn't judge it accurately in the first place." This notion, that human potential is a physical quality, to be quantified, measured and judged, is the all too likely and frighteningly imminent horror that resides at the core of this vile future world. Mr. Niccol is a polemicist of a very rare sort, for he manages to entertain even as he delivers his jeremiads. That's quite a feat. It makes him one of the most exciting and visionary talents to come along in Hollywood in some time. GRADE : A
Rating:
Summary: my all time favorite movie
Review: i have seen this on the shelf when renting movies for years, yet just by the box it never looked like something to interesting... also seeing as i never even heard one review and never heard anyone even talk about it, it couldn't be that great right? how wrong i was... to me this movie's WAY under rated... much like Donny Darko is in that way. This is a movie most people never heard, yet is probably one of the greatest movies of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Artsy Sci-Fi
Review: This is sci-fi, but it's sci-fi qua sci-fi European style, with a focus on aesthetics and a sparseness of dialogue--certainly not a "messy American sci-fi action movie." This enables the viewer to picture and concentrate on the fascinating premise, which is that of a society in the not-so-distant future where your station in life is institutionally determined (and limited by) your genetic code. Ethan Hawke works hard to defy genetic limitations and societal expectations and to impress Uma Thurman, who in turn doesn't say much but looks very smart and very pretty. Are you interested in this movie?
Rating:
Summary: Gattaca - Just around the corner...
Review: If you thought that The Matrix was a mind-crunching look into the future, then Gattaca is something you should definitely give a shot at. Ideally, you should see Gattaca without hearing about the story or reading the reviews, and let the movie hit you with the force of its ideas. There are several reasons why I rate Gattaca as one of my all-time favorites. Unlike the Matrix, which seems like its a possibility a few 100-200 years from now, Gattaca is disturbingly around the corner. The movie gives a sneak peak in wonderful manner, of the possibilities of Genetic engineering, and allows the viewer to ponder over some of its more unintended consequences. The movie also has some truly sterling direction, through the use of colors, and through the depiction of the interplay of human emotions. Uma Thurman's dilemmas, Ethan Hawke's determination, Jude Law's helplessness - are masterpieces of directorial brilliance and acting superiority. The casting is definitely one of the most definitive aspects of the movie, with even the fringe cast being appropriately selected - Be it Ernest Borgnine as the Janitor, Xander Berkley as Dr Lamar and even Blair Underwood in his 10 minute role as the Geneticist. Gattaca uses some stunning shades of color and hues, which accentuate emotion, convey depth and enhance the visual experience of the movie - be it the Green hues of the beach or the orange hues of the launch pad and external world. Beyond the directorial elements and acting brilliance, is a wonderful storyline. A storyline that in addition to raising some fundamental questions about mankind's role in Nature, also brings out the spirit of human passion, the emotional interplay between Ethan and Uma, the friendship between Jude and Ethan, the relationship between Ethan and Elias Koteas (who plays his brother), and even Ethan and Ernest Borgnine in one honest-to-god natural sequence. There is much more to be said about Gattaca, and it is best left unsaid for the viewer to see the movie and experience it. Surprisingly, for such an accurate view of the future depicted so well, Gattaca is surprisingly less known than The Matrix, along which it stands as one of the best Sci-Fi movies of the last decade. And yes - Uma Thurman sizzles in her muted performance!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie/Cultural Commentary
Review: Suspenseful and engaging, this movie was well directed. It questions issues in society, including genetic screening and predetermination.
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