Gattaca (UK)

What`s wrong in being born naturally??? Nothing....but now that the genome has been discovered , everything will change!!!!This movie is about a guy , which is non-valid ,that is born normally: he would love to go in the space but that`s that`s impossible because non-valids can`t do that , he becomes, thanks to a mock up that has to be done every mornig like a ritual, valid just in the outer layer ......that`s much more involved in it and you`ll never now if he will manage or not.......unless you buy this DVD!!!!That`s the only way!!

What a magnificent movie.
I think I watched the movie during a very exciting period. A couple of weeks ago the Human Genome project stepped a major step forward, and this movie describes the good and bad possible outcomes of such a project.
The story itself is a mixture of drama, moral aspects, some romance and suspense. While it is not a typical thriller, it has its share of suspense alright.
Ethan Hawke and Jude Law are very convincing and their acting is anything but imperfect.
While the movie`s DD 5.1 soundtrack is not extraordinary, it doesn`t bother the viewer, since the visuals are stunning. The yellow-unsaturated feel of the transfer is very suiting for the atmosphere of the movie.
The disk contains both a wide screen (1:2.35) and a full screen (4:3) versions. Both of them are, as mentioned, great.
The extra features include about half a dozen deleted scenes, a photo gallery and a behind the scenes look.
I would highly recommend it that after watching the movie in its entirety, you`d watch the deleted scene called "Coda". It will leave you wondering with your thoughts after this magnificent movie.
Indeed, there is NO gene for the human spirit.

"Gattaca" revisited - October 2004
*************************************
Over 4 years after first watching this movie, I finally got a chance to sit and watch it again.
Man, its magic simply did not wear off.
It`s still a very moral (yet so very immoral) movie. The concept of genetically valid people is almost too surreal.
The video transfer is great. There are no compression signs to be seen at all and the picture quality is superb.
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is very good. The surrounds are used during the movie but not too overwhelmingly.
As mentioned earlier - do not miss the deleted scene "Coda". It ought to leave you speechless and it should`ve been the original closing scene for the movie.
Bottom line - this disc is a must buy. It contains a great movie and packs some nice extras.

I really like this film. It is quite scary as it is worryingly up to date! I dont think that the writers of this film realised the scale of its relevance when it was first released. The acting is great, Jude Law is hilarious at some points and Ethan Hawke is fine aswell. The disc is technically great with crisp sound a visuals. The extra features are quite interesting as you can see how the original plot was before they cut small parts out. There is one of the funniest outtakes in history included that I watched about 15 times before I collapsed. I recommend this film to anyone who has ever read a newspaper.

Interesting Muse on the human spirit.

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).

A cautionary, but ultimately optimistic tale of what would happen if we started engineering genetically perfect human beings, this is an engaging and satisfying yarn. It`s also a very slow moving story that fortunately has just enough suspenseful scenes in it to occasionally perk things up. The sci-fi element -- that`s initially quite interesting -- only fuels the plot so far.
Yet, what a fascinating dilemma the main character creates for himself. With any cell of his possibly be his downfall and considering that he sheds, oh, several hundred million of them each day creates quite a predicament. This is visually presented in a wonderfully symbolic opening that has magnified cells floating down like heavy snow and hair stubble loudly hitting the floor like metal pipes. All of that shows the "evidence" Vincent must hide, while its quantity and the sound of those hairs striking the floor show that hiding it won`t be easy.

While that plot is slow moving, one must remember this is a thinking person`s sci-fi tale. There are no wild special effects or laser guns, for this is the not so distant future (and with the latest genetic discoveries and experiments headlining today`s news, something like this might not be that far off).

After the sci-fi element has worn away, Niccol manages to hold our interest by then turning the movie into a story of the human spirit surviving despite science, and the efforts of others that might topple the main character`s precariously stacked house of deception. Throwing in a little romance with some non-traditional, but highly effective suspense scenes, this film is sure to entertain audiences looking for a more mature, thought-provoking science fiction film.