Gattaca can be enjoyed on unusually many levels, including a very Hitchcock-like murder mystery subplot. The main focus is however sharply on the relationship of the individual and expectations of the larger society, a classic theme set in a sci-fi setting veering quite a bit in the direction of Philip K. Dick's work. Arguably you could watch the entire film just admiring the well-crafted cinematography and enjoying all the odd visual and verbal details and colors thrown in.
Now that we live in a weird era when social media helps the morons take over in many countries Gattaca seems a different film than when it was made. Surely meant to be a frightening dystopia at the time it now seems not the worst possible future at all. But utopia it is not. In Gattaca parents can and do have genetically engineered children with superior health and qualities. A blood test will reveal their future potential. This makes it easy for employers to pick out an elite work force. Some of the consequences are thoughtfully explored in the film. The main character capably portrayed by Ethan Hawke fools the system to become a space navigator - the word astronaut is not used in the film.
The one annoying element of the film are the repetitive blood tests the would-be space pilots have to pass every single day, over and over. Although part of the core plot, you find yourself thinking: please don't test him AGAIN. On with it! Gattaca is a dream for those people who go to movies to pick out holes in the plot. There are a lot of inconsistencies and contradictions but I do not really see what would be the point of rooting them all out. In this kind of film, intentional and unintentional oddities are part of the flavor, like a spice.
To me, one very memorable scene is where Hawke walks into his space ship, all dressed up in a dark suit and tie instead of a space suit and helmet. Really weird but quite intentional. Or the one where Jude Law slowly drags himself up a spiral staircase, an obvious but pleasant homage to the great Alfred Hitchcock and his Vertigo. As for acting, this future is a very cool one where emotions are not shown. The lead trio of Hawke, Thurman and Law play it very low-key and you will have to be alert to try and track what is going on in their minds. Which is where the action is in this rather slow film. As many have noted, this is a film rich in not-so-obvious detail. Watch it another time, see different things.
Now that we live in a weird era when social media helps the morons take over in many countries Gattaca seems a different film than when it was made. Surely meant to be a frightening dystopia at the time it now seems not the worst possible future at all. But utopia it is not. In Gattaca parents can and do have genetically engineered children with superior health and qualities. A blood test will reveal their future potential. This makes it easy for employers to pick out an elite work force. Some of the consequences are thoughtfully explored in the film. The main character capably portrayed by Ethan Hawke fools the system to become a space navigator - the word astronaut is not used in the film.
The one annoying element of the film are the repetitive blood tests the would-be space pilots have to pass every single day, over and over. Although part of the core plot, you find yourself thinking: please don't test him AGAIN. On with it! Gattaca is a dream for those people who go to movies to pick out holes in the plot. There are a lot of inconsistencies and contradictions but I do not really see what would be the point of rooting them all out. In this kind of film, intentional and unintentional oddities are part of the flavor, like a spice.
To me, one very memorable scene is where Hawke walks into his space ship, all dressed up in a dark suit and tie instead of a space suit and helmet. Really weird but quite intentional. Or the one where Jude Law slowly drags himself up a spiral staircase, an obvious but pleasant homage to the great Alfred Hitchcock and his Vertigo. As for acting, this future is a very cool one where emotions are not shown. The lead trio of Hawke, Thurman and Law play it very low-key and you will have to be alert to try and track what is going on in their minds. Which is where the action is in this rather slow film. As many have noted, this is a film rich in not-so-obvious detail. Watch it another time, see different things.
