Official Synopsis:
As one of the last "natural" beings born into a genetically engineered world, Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) has none of the "pre-ordered" DNA that will guarantee him success. Desperate to realize his dream of exploring space, Vincent assumes the identity of a genetically superior athlete (Jude Law). Avoiding detection using the athlete's genetic markers, Vincent becomes a rising star at Gattaca Aerospace, attracting the attention of a stunning co-worker (Uma Thurman). But when a flight director is brutally murdered, a clue left at the crime scene threatens to shatter Vincent's plans in this Special Edition of the riveting sci-fi classic.

  
Our Take:
Gattaca is, to put it simply, a perfect film.

There aren’t many movies I say that about, but Gattaca is one of those movies that stuck with me from the first time I saw it, and with this latest re-watching, I’ve come to realize that it easily ranks as one of my absolute favorite films. There are just so many things the film does right; it’s hard to name them all, but I’m going to give it a try.

First off, there’s a compelling mystery, but it’s really secondary to the plot. Any time you can work a murder mystery into a movie that’s both integral to the plot yet somewhat unimportant, that’s not only impressive, but fairly groundbreaking. While the murder investigation takes up a lot of the movie’s running time, it really only ever serves to frame our hero’s plight. The whodunit aspect is never really at the forefront.

The film also looks stunning. It’s amazing how easy it is to make something look as if it takes place in the future with just a combination of interesting architecture, stark set design, and creative lighting. The people in the film all wear normal clothes (almost all suits, though, which is a surprisingly effective technique) and drive normal cars (albeit with a more electric sound effect than a gasoline engine), yet the film looks perfectly futuristic. Even now, 11 years after the film’s release, it holds up extremely well because it never relied on special effects and cheesy costumes or hairstyles to sell the future aspect of it in the first place.

Performance-wise, Gattaca is a hit as well; even wooden Uma Thurman’s presence can’t derail this movie. Ethan Hawke and Jude Law are both utterly fantastic, but the supporting cast shines as well. Loren Dean, Alan Arkin, and Gore Vidal are key players who all represent well, and smaller roles by Tony Shalhoub, Elias Koteas, and Xander Berkely end up being so much more than they could have been in less talented actors’ hands.

On top of all that, the film manages to be completely topical, even a decade after its release. What would the world become like if every person’s worth were measured by their DNA and parents could order up characteristics for their children like food on a menu? Gattaca gives us a pretty stunning view of that world. With a little bit of a message to the film about how it’s what’s inside that really counts, there’s absolutely nothing about this film that doesn’t work.

Gattaca may not seem like a great candidate for a special edition DVD, but I think there are a lot of people out there who feel exactly the same way about this film as I do. Sony’s new Special Edition DVD isn’t overflowing with extra features, but it does include two new featurettes that include new interviews with Ethan Hawke and Jude Law. However, writer/director Andrew Niccol is nowhere to be seen in the extra features, which is disappointing. Here’s the complete breakdown:

* Welcome to Gattaca (22 minutes) – A new retrospective featurette.
* Do Not Alter? (15 minutes) – Gore Vidal narrates this look at the science of the film in this new feature.
* Original Featurette (7 minutes) – A standard EPK-style promo piece, carried over from the first DVD.
* Deleted Scenes (11 minutes) – Six deleted scenes carried over from the original DVD.
* Substance Test Outtake – A brief amusing outtake, also from the original DVD.

This new Special Edition DVD isn’t really anything to write home about, and I really wish Sony had taken the time to do up a proper fully-loaded disc, but I’m a big fan of anything that brings attention to this criminally underrated sci-fi classic. Gattaca is a true tale of the human spirit, an absolute masterpiece, and it ranks as one of my all-time favorite films. I think it will be one of yours, too.

HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!

Overall Picture:
Movie: A+
DVD: B-

- Mike Spring
Editor