| | | There is no gene for the human spirit.
Features: Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 2.35:1, Dolby Digital (5.1), English, Spanish, Subtitled, French, Dubbed & Subtitled
Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin, and Jude Law star in this engrossing sci-fi thriller about an all-too-human man who dares to defy a system obsessed with genetic perfection. Hawke stars as Vincent, an "In-Valid" who assumes the identity of a member of the genetic elite to pursue his goal of traveling into space with the Gattaca Aerospace Corporation. However, a week before his mission, a murder marks Vincent as a suspect. With a relentless investigator in pursuit and the colleague he has fallen in love with beginning to suspect his deception, Vincent's dreams steadily unravel.
"A handsome and fully imagined work of cautionary futuristic fiction...Thurman grows more bewitching with each role." Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"Orwell's 1984 meets Kubrik's 2001. Brilliantly conceived, masterfully directed, superbly acted." Neil Rosen, NY1 News
"One of the smartest and most provocative of science fiction films, a thriller with ideas. Two thumbs up!" Siskel & Ebert
"An impressive directorial debut." Stephen Farber, MovieLine
"A brainy "what if."" Susan Wloszczyna, USA Today
Editor's Note
In the 21st century, genetic engineering makes possible the creation of biologically superior human specimens ("valids"), who then grow to positions of power and prestige. Would-be astronaut Vincent (Ethan Hawke) born the old-fashioned way, can only hope for a janitorial position at the elite Gattaca Corporation--until he buys the blood, urine, and identity of a perfect but paralyzed athlete. But a murder in the company's ranks attracts the attention of a detective who threatens to sniff Vincent out.
| Features | Audio: English, French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Blooper Reel | | Deleted Scenes | | Dubbed: French | | Featurette | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Thai | | This Is A Blu-Ray DVD Made For Blue-Laser Format Players Which Produce Higher Quality Picture & Sound |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Sony Pictures |
| Release Date: 3/11/2008 |
| Running Time: 106 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1997 | | Catalog ID: 15433 | | UPC: 00043396154339 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Chinese | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Alan Arkin | | Ethan Hawke | | Jude Law | | Uma Thurman | | Andrew Niccol - Director | | Andrew Niccol - Writer | | Danny DeVito, et. al. - Producer | | Jan Roelfs - Production Designer | | Lisa Zeno Churgin - Editor | | Michael Nyman - Original Music By | | Sarah Knowles - Art Director | | Slawomir Idziak - Cinematographer |
| Awards |
Nominee (1998) | | | Golden Globe, Michael Nyman, Best Original Score - Motion Picture | | | Oscar, Jan Roelfs, Nancy Nye, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration |
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| | Professional Reviews | Sight and Sound
"...GATTACA is bolstered by an elaborate, often impressive series of riffs on identity and disguise..." 03/01/1998 p.48-9USA Today
"...If smart sci-fi is your vial of tea, GATTACA won't disappoint..." -- 3 out of 4 stars 10/24/1997 p.6D Entertainment Weekly
"...Corporal paranoia transforms suspense into pleasurable dread..." -- Rating: A- 05/08/1998 p.82 New York Times
"...A handsome and fully imagined work of cautionary futuristic fiction....An impressively fine-tuned first feature..." 10/24/1997 p.E18 Chicago Sun-Times
"...This is one of the smartest and most provocative of science fiction films, a thriller with ideas..." 10/24/1997 p.35 Total Film
4 stars out of 5 -- "Underrated, understated and gleaming with chilly intelligence." 05/01/2008 p.152 ReelViews 9 of 10
...Gattaca doesn't just function as a science fiction thriller, but as both a cautionary tale about the dangers of letting scientific ability outstrip ethics and as a morality play about the irrationality of bigotry...Andrew Niccol's oppressive future, which contains more than an element of Orwell's "Big Brother is watching" mentality, isn't just a clever backdrop against which to set a thriller. Instead, it's an integral part of the story...The average thriller, even if it's set in a faraway or futuristic world, tends to offer visceral, ephemeral excitement, and not much else. However, while Gattaca has the energy and tautness to compare with the best of those, its thought-provoking script and thematic richness elevate it to the next level. Gattaca is not a perfect motion picture (I would have appreciated a little more political background), but, at a time when so many science fiction films are dumber than dirt, it makes for a refreshing change-of-pace, and is a fine addition to the Fall movie season. - James Berardinelli
Eye Weekly 8 of 10
Gattaca, the latest futuristic-totalitarian-nightmare movie to come out of Hollywood, opens with the sort of contemporary twist that artists in the genre have always felt compelled to supply...Ethan Hawke plays a four-eyed genetic weakling who tries to pass himself off as one of the "valids" in an attempt to work his way up the ladder of Gattaca, a space-flight corporation, so that he can become an astronaut. He borrows stick-on finger prints and urine samples from a genetically-superior doppelganger who has been paralyzed in an accident. The initial ease of the role reversal holds out the hope that genes don't determine fate, and that even weaklings with glasses can reach for the sky, or snag a date with a gorgeous co-worker like Uma Thurman...Although a murder is added to the story, Gattaca never degenerates into a series of Demolition Man-style shoot-outs. But it also fails to develop the genuine atmosphere of oppression and decay that prevails in futuristic films about totalitarianism like Brazil or 1984. - Tom Lyons
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