Is Gattaca any good? *NO SPOILERS*

[alphatarget1]

Originally posted by: luvly
"yah, but it really gets the point across , plus its rare everyone on ATOT aggres."

Actually, no, Alpha Target1 and I do not agree with everyone else. Although I do think that his view is different from mine, for I didn't think that it just plain sucked. What I thought was that the idea was great but the acting, setting and quality sucked and was disappointing. Hence the show was not anything like it should and could have been. I gave it a 4.5 (out of 5) for idea. And then a 3 for performance (i.e., the movie itself).

i was in 10th grade and i watched it in my biology class. the "suck" factor just means i didn't find the movie entertaining. I thought the movie was fairly boring, that's all.

hell, i thought 2001: A Space Odyssey was boring

 

[Doggiedog]

Originally posted by: alphatarget1

Originally posted by: luvly
"yah, but it really gets the point across , plus its rare everyone on ATOT aggres."

Actually, no, Alpha Target1 and I do not agree with everyone else. Although I do think that his view is different from mine, for I didn't think that it just plain sucked. What I thought was that the idea was great but the acting, setting and quality sucked and was disappointing. Hence the show was not anything like it should and could have been. I gave it a 4.5 (out of 5) for idea. And then a 3 for performance (i.e., the movie itself).

i was in 10th grade and i watched it in my biology class. the "suck" factor just means i didn't find the movie entertaining. I thought the movie was fairly boring, that's all.

hell, i thought 2001: A Space Odyssey was boring

2001 was boring. I rather liked Gattaca. I even bought the DVD.

 

[DanFungus]

yeah, it's cool

 

[JSang]

great sci-fi story
watch it =)

 

[TheBoyBlunder]

It's good, but it's a thinker's movie rather than a shoot 'em up movie.

 

[AreaCode707]

Rent, watch, enjoy. Good film.

 

[notfred]

The movie is pretty good, even if it is kinda slow at times. It's wworth watching solely to understand the references to it, similar to 1984 or 2001: A Space Odessy. However, there's a quality about the movie that makes it seem somewhat "abstract". The setting never seems quite real. Although the movie is supposedly set in the near future in the United States, it never really seems beleivable. And, for another example, the swimming competition near the end of the movie adds to the character development, it doesn't really make sense why they'd actually be on the beach swimming... they jsut kind of appear on the beach for no reason.

Overall though, I still think it's a good movie, but it just doesn't feel real in a lot of ways... the plot seems more like that of a dream sometimes.

 

[QueHuong]

One of my favorite movies of all time - bought both the DVD and soundtrack, which you should check out too.

I thought everything was excellent. The idea and the message was the best part; the acting was good. Maybe luvly thought it sucked because the people were too mechanical - that's the idea, they're supposed to be near perfect and not be ruled by emotions and passion. The setting was great also - sure, they could have worn futuristic looking outfits with flexible plasma screen as part of their shirt, or like the costumes in the 5th Element, but it would look cheesy and distracting.

And some of the slangs and quotes are other things that was really interesting and creative. Borrowed Ladder, Genetic Quotient, "There is no gene for the human spirit", etc.

Awesome movie, but then after reading this thread, you'll come in expecting way too much. But I'm sure the movie will live up to most the expectations.

 

"Overall though, I still think it's a good movie, but it just doesn't feel real in a lot of ways... the plot seems more like that of a dream sometimes."

Not Fred said what I was trying to say earlier. I guess it's good for the imaginative. It's good for people who don't mind feeling as if they're reading a book (condensed)with no pictures to guide them. Hence they're left to use their imagination. There's also some unnatural part with the characters. They don't act their roles perfectly (I don't care their names and how well they are known--Ethan and Uma). Ethan did a much better acting though. I don't mind his acting actually. The one I didn't think was good was Uma's acting.

Basically if you look to movies to fill your imagination, you'll be disappointed with the movie, but you'll be pleased with the philosophy and the idea that the movie tries to provoke. However, if you do like to be left to fill in the blanks with your imagination, then it would make a good or great movie for you, in spite of the actress and actors not being the best of all.

Yeah, it did get more interesting toward the end, but then it ended.

 

[Locke]

Gattaca is my favourite movie. I'm suprised not many people have heard of it. It came out in 1997 I believe.

 

[luv2chill]

I have to disagree with luvly. I thought the "futuristic" feel of the movie was very impressive inded. There was great attention to detail throughout... the sound of the electric cars and the acoustics inside the space ministry for instance. FYI the building they used for that is the Marin Civic Center, designed by none other than Frank Lloyd Wright--whose work still looks futuristic today. Also, there seemed to be color filters applied during certain scenes--the yellow tinted outdoor scenes almost felt like sepia--they had an especially stylized feel. The director managed to create a futuristic atmosphere by using very old designs (the cars, and architecture, for instance). Another film I think accomplished that well was Baz Lurmann's remake of Romeo and Juliet. It's a really cool effect and quite classy!

The cinematography was superb--this is one DVD that greatly benefits from its wide aspect ratio.

There was just a thread a few days ago about the soundtrack, but as well as being hauntingly beautiful it adds a lot of impact to the film. Michael Nyman is a master at creating scores for films that help bring across the setting, emotion and themes of the story.

Also, I thought the acting was great... Uma Thurman always has that kind of monotonous way of speaking, but in this role I think it really fits the character (like all "valids"--a programmed human). The interplay between Ethan Hawke (Vincent) and Jude Law (Jerome) was very convincing.

I am a huge fan of utopian storylines (so as you'd expect, Brave New World and 1984 are two of my favorite novels). Gattaca ranks right up there--it's one of my favorite films and one I've seen probably 20 times. It is a brilliant film and terribly underrated. Most people outside of the geek circle have never even heard of it, which is a shame, because beyond being a very entertaining film and feast for the senses, it delivers a very important message as well.

l2c

 

[Rufio]

i just watched it...

man it was crazy!!!

i liked it a lot!

i was just wondering abou the end:

**SPOILER**






when Vincent opens up the envelope, it's a lock of hair...what is the significance of that?

 

[schizoid]

I couldn't believe that Darth Vader was that guy's father.

That one threw me for a loop!

And Soylent Green being people? Never saw that one coming either!

 

[Siddhartha]

GATACA has good acting, storyline, and production values. Two thumbs up.

 

[anxi80]

*spoiler warning*


think he gave him to him to tell him without words that he was going away and not coming back. (kill himself) if he stuck around, he couldve always given him a lock of hair, but since he knows he's going to end it, he clipped it and gave it to him to remember.

edit: btw, love the movie, and when costco had a sale on superbit dvd's, this was the one that stuck out in my mind to buy. love this movie, and im usually not a fan of the sci-fi genre.

 

[luv2chill]

Originally posted by: Rufio
i just watched it...

man it was crazy!!!

i liked it a lot!

i was just wondering abou the end:

**SPOILER**

Glad you liked it! It's definitely one of those movies that rewards repeat viewings. Every time I see it now I find some metaphor or piece of information I had missed before.

About your question, I think the envelope's contents at the end is significant for a couple of reasons...

1. Saving a lock of somebody's hair is an age-old tradition of rememberance. If you have a baby book somewhere it's likely your mom saved some clippings from your first haircut. Even in adulthood, throughout history giving somebody a lock of your hair is considered a way for them to remember you.

2. Obviously he could have enclosed a photograph or a voice recording or a video or something more high-tech but keeping in terms with the simple, streamlined vision of the future the movie portrays, the lock of hair seems to be more fitting. Sort of poetic in a way.

3. Lastly, the lock of hair is symbolic of the bond between them. In essence, through hair and blood and urine Vincent became Jerome.

Anyway, there is a lot of symbolism and metaphor in that film so I'm sure you can find lots of meaning behind many of the seemingly simple things throughout the movie. I love it when I see films with so much attention to little details. Like I said, everytime I watch Gattaca I pick up on something new.

l2c

 

[Doggiedog]

I haven't seen it in a while but if I remember correctly, I thought he gave it to him so that he could have a supply of the guy's DNA for future use.

 

[mattgyver]

They say that every atom in your body was once part of a star. . .



(or something like that!)

 

[Rufio]

yeah it was a pretty trippy movie..........

i thought it was about clones or something...

 

[masterxfob]

i liked everything about the movie except for the one part at the end, the furnace thingie

 

[Martin]

i thought it was good, but I was young when I saw it, so it might not have impressed me that much.

 

[zCypher]

Wow, this thread is quite impressive. Only two people didn't have the "wow it was awesome!" stance, and luvly didn't despise it so really only one person totally disagrees with the majority opinion. Impressive, very rare!

Oh and yes I liked the movie quite a lot myself.

 

[chowderhead]

I will echo what others have said. It is one of my favorite movies. It was a very underrated movie with a great cast and a poignant and relevant (to today's issues) storyline. 4 thumbs up!

 

[BurnItDwn]

yes. Its a great movie. I'm usually into more action type movies, but Gattaca was very good.

 

[LakAttack]

I really enjoyed this movie. I put off seeing it because I thought it would be a tired rehash of Brave New World, etc., but there was a lot more to it.