BY CHRISTOPHER STAMM
GUEST MOVIE REVIEWER
Gattaca (now streaming on multiple platforms)
Rated PG-13 – for language and adult themes.
Greetings, dear readers. Nothing new hit cinemas this week except for Clifford the Big Red Dog, and as a middle-aged man, I thought attending a kids movie solo would be, shall we say, creepy (and I had no interest in it anyway).
So, I went back into the way-back machine and pulled another gem out that you may have missed.
Gattaca arrived on screens in 1997 and was quickly forgotten. It received wonderful reviews praising its look, performances, and score, but did not find its audience. And that is a crime.
Gattaca has since gone on to be one of the best-regarded films of the 90’s, and the sad fact is, in today’s market, it would never be made, and we would be all the lesser for that.
Taking place in the near future, Gattaca is about a society where genetic manipulation is the norm. Where soon-to-be-parents choose the traits they want their child to have and do their best to eliminate undesirable traits.
Children born without this manipulation are referred to as “love children” and have become second class citizens. As the lead character states in one memorable line, “I belonged to a new underclass, no longer determined by social status or the color of my skin. No, we now have discrimination down to a science.”
The lead character, Vincent, played to perfection by Ethan Hawke, decides he will not be limited by and to his genetic makeup and games the system. How he does this is the story, so I will not go into it. Suffice to say, its enthralling!
The cast is amazing. Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, and Alan Arkin all lend their considerable talents to this story.
Five out of five stars for Gattaca. This is one of the best films you will ever see.