Back in my college days; I always would spend my Fridays at the theater seeing every film that came out on that particular Friday. Gattaca was one of those films I saw back in 1997 when it made it’s theatrical debut. It was a new kind of film, the special effects and the style were different from anything seen before and the story was based on new kind of Science Fiction ten years ago, but we know though human gene research that it’s possible today. It was a film that was made maybe a few years before it’s time, back when gene research was not as a big of deal as it is today. The film did not do that well in the box office, making about 13 million dollars in it’s U.S. theatrical run. It cost 36 million to make. Now more than ten years later the film comes back to life on both Blu-Ray and special edition DVD, both which include all new features and interviews with the cast members Jude Law and Ethan Hawke.
Gattaca follows the life of Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) one of the last people on earth that was conceived normally before generic research took over and children were made in test tubes with no forms of abnormalities. These people are treated with the highest of respect, they hold the highest ranking jobs and have more benefits than people like Vincent. Vincent has a heart problem and according to his DNA he will die around the age of thirty. However Vincent dreams of becoming an astronaut just might come true when an injured genetically superior athlete (Jude Law) is badly injured and loses his ability to walk. He secretly lends his identity to Vincent in hopes of helping him make his dreams come true. Though a series of swapping hair and skin samples. The two try to help each other in a society where your classified by DNA, and one mistake can cost them their lives.
The script for Gattaca is pretty good, the story is very well written and developed and writer/director Andrew Niccol really researched the science behind human DNA and really brings the issue of a DNA based society to the table. The story is a bit complex but straight forward. The dialogue at times may seem a bit technical for it’s time, but most people know about human gene research now and have a basic understanding of the science involved in human DNA. It’s a very good well put together, tight script that delivers.
The films strong point is within it’s acting. Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman where becoming names in the industry and this is the film that even sparked a relationship between the two actors. It’s also the film that helped put Jude Law on the map in Hollywood. His performance was brilliant in the supporting role he had in this film. The overall acting in this film is really good, and my hats off to Andrew Niccol for directing the actors so well.
The production value is another strong point this film has. The digital effects were pretty new at the time and the majority of the films sets were pretty much popped in via computer effects. The film has this almost blown out look that represents the high society in which the human race is evolving into. Yet we know that not all is perfect.
Gattaca is a film that was made a few years before it’s time. It’s a film that is very well made and put together and has a cult like status that is sure to surround the movie as a science fiction film to be remembered. It’s one of the first films to really get into detail about the effects of human DNA and the good, the bad and ugly behind such knowledge of the human make-up.
– Horror Bob
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
