Gattaca
by Andrew Niccol
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ethan Hawke, Gore Vidal, Jude Law, Uma Thurman, Xander BerkeleyDirector: Andrew Niccol
Writer: Andrew Niccol
Producer: Danny DeVito
Producer: Gail Lyon
Producer: Georgia Kacandes
Producer: Joshua Levinson
Producer: Michael Shamberg
Producer: Stacey Sher
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 106 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-07-01
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures
Movie Reviews of Gattaca
Movie Review: The Not So Distant Future of GATTACA
Summary: 5 Stars
GATTACA examines the nature of personal identity, personal destiny, and the idea that an individual can become more than the sum of his parts. Aldous Huxley's Brave New World already thoroughly covers these same themes regarding formulated utopias and caste systems, but GATTACA approaches them in a more sincere and less satirical manner than does Huxley's work. GATTACA is therefore a very literate piece of speculative science fiction that should appeal to those who desire more than the standard Star Wars or implausible alien fare. Unfortunately, the film is a bit too cerebral for the average filmgoer, and probably explains why GATTACA did not do so well in the box office.
GATTACA is about the story of a future society where one's ID has become their gene-pool. Those with an "acceptable" gene combination are given access to the better jobs and prospects, and most importantly a chance to leave this planet for outer space, where, by then, humans are exploring domains far beyond their own solar system. Those with an undesirable gene combination, that is, a predisposition for disease, health problems, low life expectancy, and other "imperfections," are deemed, and doomed, to become society's second class citizens demoted to menial jobs and the streets. The first category is the "valids" and the second the "in-valids".
The film tells the story of the symbolically named Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) who sets out to follow his dream of space travel, even though he was born the "old-fashioned" way, which renders him genetically flawed. As such, he is forced to work in low-level occupations, the fate of all "in-valids," who represent the untouchables of that future class system in which genetic engineering has replaced the divisive powers formerly held only by wealth alone. Vincent, resourceful because of his spirit, a tendency for which there is no gene, as the movie's tagline suggests, finds a way to make his dreams a reality, though not without the help of a disabled "valid" (Jude Law). The "valid" Jerome, who lends Vincent his identity, as well as regular samples of his blood, urine, and other genetic identifiers used in monitoring society's privileged caste, while in possession of superior genes, lacks the one thing that transforms dreams into reality: the spirit of ambition, or the desire exceed expectations.
Writer/director Andrew Niccol has rendered an ideal film depicting a future where governments determine its citizen's place in society before they're even born. This is fascism in its purest form. Our protagonist, Vincent, had the misfortune of being born a "God-child" conceived in the back seat of his parent's car. In the metallic, clinical, and sterile world of this film physical love is unnatural. Sex is an impulsive passionate act and therefore not in tune with the perfection of an intelligent, balanced, stoic, and ultimately robotic population. He is a "degenerate" whose future has been already determined, a life of undesirable jobs, being a marked citizen, and the stigma as an "invalid." One day he realizes, after saving his near perfect, genetically engineered brother's life that he has what it takes to join the ranks of society's elite, and sets a plan in motion to join the GATTACA Company. And the extent Vincent goes to in order to achieve his goal is nothing less than inspiring.
Considering the current lock down of our rights in society, (fingerprinting, racial profiling, and the unconstitutional patriot act) and due process dwindling at an alarming rate; genetic science becoming society's sole judge and executioner in our courts of law, and genetic science itself moving ahead in leaps and bounds without true and productive debate about the ethical implications, the world of GATTACA is almost upon us. As the film states at the beginning, "In the not so distant future," is a frightening reality we must consider. This is an important film that should not be ignored.
Niccol's film is clever and full of detail, right down to the words and phrases - degenerates, borrowed ladders, "Eugene" and eugenics, GATTACA and the G-A-T-T-A-C-A sequences that make up DNA. Eugenics as a form of social control by governments over its subjects is a very real issue. The formation of a so-called "perfect" human being by way of genetic manipulation is a current science that is developing at such a rate that the ethical issues the subject raises, and the productive dialogue required when artificially controlling life, is falling way behind. Although eugenics is based on positive principle of breeding the best, it has been manipulated by Hitler, China, and even in our own federal government with terrifying consequences. The consequences include genocide, infanticide, and involuntary sterilization.
In Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, he explores a society where genetics is used to create the perfect society, and the ethical and social implications of such a world. He does not paint a positive picture. As Vincent proclaims, "Discrimination has now become a science," regarding one's social status in society solely determined by the perfections or imperfections of their genetic make-up. Those without imperfections, the biological determined "elite," are placed in the prestigious and important jobs and enjoy all the benefits. More than anything else, I believe, this important film is about the strength of the human spirit over so-called biological determinism. As Vincent, shows us, the will of the spirit far outweighs one's genetic predisposition.
Although GATTACA takes place in a "not so distant future," like all serious science fiction works, it is a commentary about the present. In its stylishly sequenced narrative, it is also a passionate tribute to the romantic notion that the human spirit is, and always will be, beyond the callous grip of science. Ironically, it may have been that very same romantic ambition of the human spirit, which drives Vincent towards the stars that brought the deadening "perfection" of the tightly controlled world of GATTACA into being in the first place. So while we observe this work of "fiction" we must realize that if a society is truly "judged on how it treats its least members" then is the "not so distant future" today?
Summary of Gattaca
Confidently conceived and brilliantly executed, Gattaca had a somewhat low profile release in 1997, but audiences and critics hailed the film's originality. It's since been recognized as one of the most intelligent science fiction films of the 1990s. Writer-director Andrew Niccol, the talented New Zealander who also wrote the acclaimed Jim Carrey vehicle The Truman Show, depicts a near-future society in which one's personal and professional destiny is determined by one's genes. In this society, "Valids" (genetically engineered) qualify for positions at prestigious corporations, such as Gattaca, which grooms its most qualified employees for space exploration. "In-Valids" (naturally born), such as the film's protagonist, Vincent (Ethan Hawke), are deemed genetically flawed and subsequently fated to low-level occupations in a genetically caste society. With the help of a disabled "Valid" (Jude Law), Vincent subverts his society's social and biological barriers to pursue his dream of space travel; any random mistake--and an ongoing murder investigation at Gattaca--could reveal his plot. Part thriller, part futuristic drama and cautionary tale, Gattaca establishes its social structure so convincingly that the entire scenario is chillingly believable. With Uma Thurman as the woman who loves Vincent and identifies with his struggle, Gattaca is both stylish and smart, while Jude Law's performance lends the film a note of tragic and heartfelt humanity. --Jeff ShannonSimilar DVD Movies
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