Gattaca

Rating:
Summary: Sci-fi possibilities?
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Do you know how I beat you?
Review: This is a great movie! I didn't know anything about this movie until last night. I can't believe how I missed this movie. It's about discrimination, faith and human potential. You are not only body. You are not only genetic flesh. You are human. This is all about the movie. Watch this movie. You WON'T regret.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Smart Film!
Review: A great sci-fi film that has genetic engineering, class discrimination and an intriguing murder mystery. Ethan Hawke is fantastic as Vincent, a man with a heart defect who has to fool the world in order to be a recruit for space flight. Jude Law's performance as Jerome, the cripple who gives his own identity to Vincent, is one of the best performances of the 90's. Law's best scene is when he has to climb the stairs only using his arms. Amazing!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie
Review: Absolutely excellent movie that reflects the power of dreams and of the will to prevail despite circumstances. Superb acting and intelligent plot!

Rating:
Summary: a new form of caste system
Review: Vincent is an "invalid", someone whom society deems not worth investing time, money and emotion in as he will die young. Through the power of technology, people have their blood drawn at birth and can be told what diseases they are likely to have and at what age they will die.

Vincent is also the brother of Anton, a "valid", whom their father obviously loves more. But Vincent knows he can achieve his dreams if only he has the chance to prove it, but no one will allow him to prove it, especially since he has to provide genetic proof of his identity via urine and blood samples. All seems hopeless until he makes an alliance with valid Jerome, who is ina wheelchair after an accident (I guess science can't predict everything after all.)

Things are going well until Vincent falls for Irene (Uma Thurman)and has no idea how she would feel about his real "invalid" self. Who he really is will always be there --- and that wouldn't be so bad except everyone uses it to discriminate against him.

Very very interesting story -- you can use it as a metaphor for racism in our current society.

Rating:
Summary: Smart Sci-fi Drama/Romance... Worth Owning
Review: Gattaca is a sci-fi/drama classic that even the most sci-fi adverse crowd will enjoy. The story, though set in the not-so-distant future, is not so much a tecno dazzler like the Matrix rather an exploration into the power of the human spirit. The story digs deep enough into the science to show the biotech driven Big Brother society we could grow into if we are not careful without overloading those who aren't interested in that sort of thing. There is also a good romantic side story involving Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. The entire cast is excellent with a breakout performance by Jude Law.

Rating:
Summary: interesting new way to make a caste system
Review: Gattaca is on the premise that, at birth, a blood sample can detect all of that infant's potential diseases, etc and even the age of death. With this information, society deems in whom it is worht investing time and money to be a major contributor i.e. a "valid" and who is not an "invalid".

Vincent (Ethan Hawke) is born an invalid but wants to be an astronaut, a job given only to valids --- which is younger brother Anton is. For this reason, the adult Vincent meets a valid Jerome (Jude Law) who has been crippled in an accident ([hmmm]... the blood sample never saw that coming!) Jerome provides Vincent with blood and [other] samples, etc so that Vincent can realize the potential that he knows he has, even if the world tells him he doesn't. During this time he falls in love with the beautiful valid Irene (Uma Thurman, in a parallel to what happened with she and Ethan Hawke in real life.)

This is an interesting testament that nothing can nor should limit a human's potential, no matter how much other humans claim.

Rating:
Summary: Gattaca
Review: I really liked this movie!
The plot is quite interesting even if it is quite classical (in a world of injustice, the good deserving guy takes the place of the genetically perfect and realises his dreams by working hard). Set in the world of Gattaca, the plot keeps you interested thourough the movie (you can only guess who the murderer is), there even is a slight touch of humor. The characters are realistic and interesting and quite endearing. The end is quite good, not too much the happy-ending type.
I was concerned that this would be one of those sci-fi stories where the special effects are the only important thing, so I was enchanted to find out that there were no battles between human and machines, for example.
I found the whole idea of this world of genetical perfection quite captivating and it made me reflect about the future. The world that is portraied isn't really one that you would want to live in, the "invalid" being denied a normal life and the "valid" not being very happy either. It shows that some kind of discrimination will always exist.
The cast is outstanding, Ethan Hawk and Uma Thurman are both good actors, but Jude Law was the one that attracted my attention by his great performance. I really think he was wonferful. His character really added something to the film as you discover the "human" under the image of perfection.
Supported by a perfect cast, this movie really makes you reflect and you won't forget it!

Rating:
Summary: Litmus Test Movie
Review: One can tell a lot about a person by their reaction to Gattaca. (1) It was a commercial dud, so few will know what you're talking about, and (2) Most people don't see it for what it is. There's just not enough life here - at least not at the surface. For that 4% of us who do enjoy this movie, we belong to a distinct tribe, and we recognize in this flick a certain kind of intellectual philosophical adventure which is rare and powerful.

I liked this film. It's one of the very few successful deep sci-fi films ever, and it's more impressive to me because they did it with no budget and without distracting toys. This film is an adult thought-experiment, making a statement about a number of related issues regarding genetics, social engineering and the nature of the self.

Personally, I think a variation of Gattaca's future-dystopia will be realized someday - maybe not in our lifetimes, but still - the Darwinian forces that would cause Gattaca are real, and they will effect the real future in one way or another. Passing laws against this 'progress' would be like outlawing the motions of the planets. They don't respond to judicial sanction.

So this film has a ring of premonition in my mind. Maybe in a hundred years after the world has changed, someone will watch Gattaca and will see that at least we had our eyes wide open as we walked off that genetic cliff. C'est la vie.

Rating:
Summary: Stylish Story about the Genetically Gifted
Review: This film does not look like most science fiction films you've seen. It looks like an urban fantasy, with lots of clean, straight lines, cold concrete, and some dark alleys. Everyone is dressed in suits or other stylish outfits, and there are only passing references to space. This film is a near-future look at how our society could mutate as a result of emphasis and dependence upon genetic engineering. I found the film disturbingly (and depressingly) real.

I came out of GATTACA asking myself a lot of questions, which is perhaps the main thrust of the film. There are few hammer blows, not so many messages as situations that unfold, and the viewer is left wanting to know more.

I'd say this is science fiction for people who usually don't like science fiction. It is very close to reality, and bears watching and taking seriously. But if you're looking for answers to a future based on genetic prejudice, you won't find many here, just more questions.

Some Additional Thoughts After a Recent Rental

I liked author Gore Vidal's performance in this film as a chilly, snobbish space mission director. He uses the same sort of language you usually hear in films about country clubs or fraternities trying to exclude "those people," whatever outside group that might be.

Also, I must again emphasize the sterile look to this place. The buildings and suits are all very "clean" looking. Even the astronauts go into space in suits! This is a very corporate environment, at the high end of the price scale.

In the midst of the film is a murder mystery. The Mission Control director is killed, and the only trace of suspicion the police have is a single eyelash from an "Invalid," a genetically-deprived individual. The mystery, to the police, is how an Invalid could have gotten into GATTACA, the company launching rockets into space. After all, "they" have weaker hearts, lesser intelligence, weaker vision; they're almost another race! Something to consider for the future, anyway.

I must also point out the incredible lengths the hero (Hawke) goes to disguise his true nature: scraping skin cells, making fake fingerprints, borrowing blood and urine samples from a "Valid" who has fallen from grace. The man Hawke borrows fluids and identities from is a gifted swimmer who had the bad luck to come in second in a race. Unable to cope with the failure of his assumed superiority, he walks in front of a car, paralyzing his legs. Indeed, the work ethic of the "invalids" versus the complacency of the "valids" is telling. I found the society portrayed in this film as quite chillingly realistic.