 "Triumph of the Will" | 2009-10-24 |
| - Reviewed By User: A39EXH9JJAI80R |
This is a beautiful movie. Interesting plot. Romantic. And a great moral
fable about environment versus genetics versus something else...It is
about the internal struggle to define oneself and the limitations that others
would place upon you based upon their prejudices. This is one of my favourite
movies, and I think it is one of the best films of the science fiction genre,
since Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Another reason to like this film is the fact that
there is no profanity, no "curse words", no bad language, no blasphemy, in this
movie, which is great for teenagers and adults alike: Very, very rare to find a
movie of this quality.
Vincent (Ethan Hawke) has a brother named Anton, who is genetically healthy
and predestined by an Orwellian Society, not to suffer as a common labourer,
whereas Vincent, because of his genetic profile is not allowed to enter certain
schools or have certain career aspirations (sound familiar?). He is confined not to
look beyond a certain economic class, and not to fraternize with people who are
better than he is, because there exists ample scientific evidence to support this
assertion. The society of the future predetermines a person's mate, economic
status, and career objectives, how he (or she) will live, based upon their genetic
code. And in this society, Vincent will rebel, by pretending to be somebody he is
not. But, a murder investigation (he didn't do it) threatens to reveal his true identity,
and who will believe that he did not do it, when it is revealed that he is a "degenerate"?
'Degenerate', in this future society, is a term (label, name) given to people who are
"genetically unhealthy", and does not refer to behaviour, criminal or moral: It is the
new prejudice in the class-conscious society of the future. But what of "falling in
love" with a complete, or partial, stranger? Can you truly know somebody based
upon a sequence of letters?: Namely, these four: G T C A, which stand for the basic
four constituent elements of DNA. Tragic how a label, or a piece of paper, can
change the perception others have of you, whether positive or negative. For example,
if somebody says, "white house", will your attention not be drawn away from the house
itself, to a specific aspect of that house, namely, its colour? And thereby, might you not
miss noticing the windows, or the architecture, the landscape, or even the address?
People, like houses, are multi-dimensional, or so one hopes. But "name-calling" can
lead to a total rejection of an individual. Which is perhaps why words such as 'homosexual'
or 'lesbian' do not appear in the Bible (KJV).
My recommendation:
Get the dvd with the green cover. The edition that came after that one, blue with
a picture of a DNA strand on it, changed the look of the film, such that it looks
computer-generated. Yuck!
Personally, I like seeing real people acting, rather than "touch-ups", "brush-ups",
or other "special effects", that make them look like "computer generated cartoon
characters". (Worked in the movie 'Tron', only because it was integral to the storyline.)
I guess "Hollywood studio executives" are hoping to convince audiences that
computer-generated characters are just as good to watch as real people are, and
therefore they can replace real actors with computer generated images (with computer
programmers serving as puppeteers) so that they will not have to pay actors salaries,
thereby permitting them to cut their costs of production and increase their ROI (return
on investment) or other such metrics. Or maybe "they" just like wrecking great movies.
Whatever the reason for the change, of the two, the green cover dvd is the best. My
guess, in a few years, people will think this CGI fad was just that. Prediction: Just as
paisley went out with the sixties, so too will CGI. Because "the kids" will hate it. |
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 "Inadequate underdog story posing as a brilliant sci fi" | 2009-10-08 |
| - Reviewed By mackshere |
Let me come right out and say it--I hated this movie. Hated, hated, hated. Okay, that might be a little too harsh. After all, it's not as bad as genital herpes, swallowing cat piss, or watching a Michael Bay flick. But as far as genius sci-fi goes, this is inferior, an imposter, an in-valid.
Gattaca does have an excellent premise, and has garnered quite a cult following. Manipulating genetics to form the perfect human being is an intriguing concept. Utilizing Science to eliminate birth defects and create a person less susceptible to diseases or illnesses is a possibility that many might consider justifiable. On the other hand, tampering with nature is bound to have its repurcussions.
My main problem with this story is the fact it tries to pound one element into your head over and over again and never offers much of anything else. A man born all-naturale wants to have the same priviledges as his genetic superiors. For the first half, it worked admirably. Then it started to get pretty dang stagnant. Still it kept riding this one-trick pony till the cows came home. Not sure what that means really, except I was annoyed and bored to freakin tears.
Ethan Hawke does a decent job. But how many fingerprint id's, blood samples, and heart tests can a man fake? Then they had his face plastered EVERYWHERE, and nobody could make the connection he was a murder suspect? PLEASE!!!! I don't care how blind your ego makes you, it is completely obvious!
Plus the differences between the valids &n in-valids were blown way outta proportion. Granted, he shouldn't be able to run as fast or swim as far. But he can't cross the freakin street? This movie might be making a statement how ridiculous prejudices are, which does of course carry some merit. But I felt this was way too heavy-handed.
And possibly one of the worst scenes I can recall off the top of my head--the party date with Uma. She realizes he is a murder suspect and has been deceiving her, watches him beat down some cop, forces her to run off with him, and then they make love under a gorgeous starlit sky. Atrocious!
Another thing I didn't care for--this had relatively few cool futuristic gadgets and gizmos. The cars looked retro, but they made a cool humming sound as they sped past. The cops didn't have any laser guns or sweet tracking devices. Nobody had cell phones. No teleportation tubes with dialethium crystals or electronic floatation devices? Nothing really. Bummer.
Anyway, I'm sorry. I'm rambling. But seriously, I don't put this anywhere close to the elite sci-fi masterpieces. In fact, it is one of my least favorites of the genre.
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 "Dark story in a future which may not be that far away" | 2009-09-15 |
| - Reviewed By aterh |
The story is a newer idea of 'big brother' which, when you come to think of it, may not be that far away. The current DNA insights make this very plausable and quite scary, really.
Acting is quite different from the usual (possibly to create a more alienating environment?) but really good.
I really enjoyed this movie. |
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 "Great film with one weak link" | 2009-09-01 |
| - Reviewed By somedamnedguy |
While a number of years old, Gattaca keeps becoming more timely as our biotechnology continues to advance. The movie depicts a near-future where the genetically engineered are a privileged class and those born "naturally" are second-class citizens.
Hawke's character has serious heart defects but desperately wants to go to space, a trip that will likely kill him. The "defective" characters are portrayed as far more motivated than the genetically engineered (for example Jude Law, whose identity Hawke's character assumes). The obvious moral is that eugenics isn't the answer, but more along the lines of the Hell's Angels slogan "the will to win is more important than the skill to win."
The music, set designs, and nearly all the actors are excellent. The weak link: the always greasy, one-dimensional Ethan Hawke. This is a pity, because he's always appeared genetically deficient to me; this is the role he was born to play. I have to wonder how much better this film could have been with a worthwhile actor in the lead.
Oh, and why must astronauts go into space in business suits? Can't we evolve past neckties? |
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| "A beautiful film" | 2009-06-26 |
| - Reviewed By User: ADOLBUXJDEIZB |
| This has to be one of the most pleasing, thought provoking and beautifully made science fiction films of the decade. The movie is briliantly acted out, well crafted and will leave the viewer affected by its charm and dignity. |
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