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Gattaca: Superbit
Columbia/Tri-Star // PG-13 // December 11, 2001
List Price: $27.96 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
I still believe that "Gattaca" is one of the most underappreciated films of the late 1990's and one of the most beautiful, poetic and well-written films of the past couple of years. The film was mis-marketed by the studio, and quickly faded from box offices. Those who haven't seen it will find a marevelous sci-fi drama, both thought-provoking and emotional.
The film stars Ethan Hawke as Vincent, who is born much like many are now, what we consider the "natural" way. His parents did not choose the option of using genetic engineering, which has become available in the film's "not-too-distant-future" setting. Those who are not genetically engineered are given the lower jobs in society and looked down upon, called "in-valids". He seeks out a local "dealer", who introduces him to Jerome Morrow, a superior man who was injured in an accident. With a little help, the two switch places. A murder mystery is the underlying plot, but it doesn't figure in that much, and the film goes far further with other pieces of the story.
Vincent's dream ever since he was little is to be an astronaut; to get even an interview, he needs the material of a superior person. In this future, there is no "past experience" or even a resume. The interview is a blood sample or a urine test to examine your DNA.
The film does a phenomenal job creating a subtly futuristic world on a fairly small(18m) budget. Cinematography by Slawomir Idziak("Blue", John Sayle's "Men With Guns") is excellent, adding cold sharpness to the interiors and a golden tone to many of the outdoor sequences. The 2.35:1 frame is always filled very well. Michael Nyman's outstanding score adds emotion and drama to each scene it appears in; the combination of the visuals and score creates poetry and breathtaking beauty.
Performances are also excellent. Some have thought Ethan Hawke's acting to be less than solid, but in the right role he can be quite good. Jude Law("Talented Mr. Ripley") has an almost perfect performance as the perfect individual who is unhappy with the burden of perfection, and Uma Thurman is fairly solid as Irene, the near-perfect co-worker who Hawke's character falls for.
Although the film is not fast paced, many scenes generate a remarkable amount of tension as the audience waits to find if Hawke's character will be found out. The film is impressively written, with a fascinating plot and interesting characters. On a small budget, director Andrew Niccol(writer of "The Truman Show") has created a convincing world and thought-provoking movie. I can watch this film again and again and still find it wonderfully involving and moving. I still consider it one of the finest sci-fi pictures of the last several years, if not longer. It's easily one of my favorite films and one of the few I've seen in a long time that I consider close to perfect.
The DVD
VIDEO: I saw "Gattaca" three times in three different theaters, watched the laserdisc (which now suffers from laser-rot) and the original DVD release. The "Superbit" DVD edition presents the film in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, but with the additional space on this new edition devoted to image quality, there are some improvements to be had. Although I was unfortunately not able to have the original edition on-hand during this review, I think I do know it well enough to make some statements regarding general improvements in quality on this edition from the previous one.
The film boasts sleek, goregeous cinematography and incredible production design, all of which are revealed in finer detail on this new edition. The "Superbit" edition appeared sharper and smoother than I'd ever remembered seeing this picture on home video. While not a massive improvement in definition, the picture did look more well-defined.
I never really thought the original presentation was too problematic to begin with. Some of those little problems do return again here (some minor specks on the print used), but the picture does appear more natural, with little or no edge enhancement and no pixelation. Some light grain is still visible, but that has always been part of this picture.
The film boasts a beautiful color palette; rich deep blues and golden yellows, among other colors. This is really the area where considerable improvement is visible, as colors look noticably richer, bolder and more vibrant. Black level was strong, while flesh tones looked accurate and natural. While this release did not provide a massive improvement over the original release, it really did provide a considerably stronger presentation in a number of aspects of the image quality. Subtitles are presented in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, Thai and Portuguese.
SOUND: "Gattaca" is presented in both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 on this new "Superbit" edition. I've always quite liked the film's soundtrack. It's certainly not an assault on the senses like many other sci-fi audio presentations, but there's a great deal of atmosphere in nearly every sequence that really adds to the already remarkable tone and feel of the picture.
Surrounds kick in these subtle sounds quite nicely. Echos of footsteps, waves, slight gusts of wind, music, speakers offering announcements and other elements come from the rear speakers on a consistent basis, but offer these touches in a subtle manner that doesn't draw attention. Still, while most of the film is not particularly agressive, there are a couple of sequences that are exceptionally done, including one sequence where cars are zipping down a street and seem to be speeding through the entire room. The ending also delivers some considerable bass.
The most exceptional piece of the audio is Michael Nyman's outstanding score, whose emotion and beauty are remarkable and really add greatly to the picture. The score has nice presence and his reinforced by the surrounds. Dialogue, ambient sounds and other parts are clear, crisp and natural-sounding.
Both soundtracks are quite good, but the DTS soundtrack did bring additional clarity and detail to the proceedings, as well as deeper bass in a few scenes. Nyman's score also gained further presence and warmth in the DTS edition.
MENUS: Like all the other "Superbit" titles, there's no flash or animation to the menus to make more space for audio/video.
EXTRAS: It's a bit dissapointing that Columbia/Tristar didn't decide to persue a "special edition" re-release, but it's nice to have the film presented with stronger quality. Like all the other "Superbit" titles, there's no extras to make more space for audio/video.
Final Thoughts: Inspiring, beautifully acted, deeply emotional, stunningly photographed, phenomenally scored and magnifcently written, "Gattaca" remains one of my favorite pictures of all time. While I am dissapointed that Columbia/Tristar has not decided to produce a "special edition" re-release, I am very pleased to be able to view this film with the exceptional, improved audio/video included on this edition. If you haven't seen the film before, I would absolutely, positively recommend picking up this Superbit edition of the picture. Fans of the film might also want to consider picking up this new edition, which boasts stronger video and somewhat better audio quality than the previous release.
I still believe that "Gattaca" is one of the most underappreciated films of the late 1990's and one of the most beautiful, poetic and well-written films of the past couple of years. The film was mis-marketed by the studio, and quickly faded from box offices. Those who haven't seen it will find a marevelous sci-fi drama, both thought-provoking and emotional.
The film stars Ethan Hawke as Vincent, who is born much like many are now, what we consider the "natural" way. His parents did not choose the option of using genetic engineering, which has become available in the film's "not-too-distant-future" setting. Those who are not genetically engineered are given the lower jobs in society and looked down upon, called "in-valids". He seeks out a local "dealer", who introduces him to Jerome Morrow, a superior man who was injured in an accident. With a little help, the two switch places. A murder mystery is the underlying plot, but it doesn't figure in that much, and the film goes far further with other pieces of the story.
Vincent's dream ever since he was little is to be an astronaut; to get even an interview, he needs the material of a superior person. In this future, there is no "past experience" or even a resume. The interview is a blood sample or a urine test to examine your DNA.
The film does a phenomenal job creating a subtly futuristic world on a fairly small(18m) budget. Cinematography by Slawomir Idziak("Blue", John Sayle's "Men With Guns") is excellent, adding cold sharpness to the interiors and a golden tone to many of the outdoor sequences. The 2.35:1 frame is always filled very well. Michael Nyman's outstanding score adds emotion and drama to each scene it appears in; the combination of the visuals and score creates poetry and breathtaking beauty.
Performances are also excellent. Some have thought Ethan Hawke's acting to be less than solid, but in the right role he can be quite good. Jude Law("Talented Mr. Ripley") has an almost perfect performance as the perfect individual who is unhappy with the burden of perfection, and Uma Thurman is fairly solid as Irene, the near-perfect co-worker who Hawke's character falls for.
Although the film is not fast paced, many scenes generate a remarkable amount of tension as the audience waits to find if Hawke's character will be found out. The film is impressively written, with a fascinating plot and interesting characters. On a small budget, director Andrew Niccol(writer of "The Truman Show") has created a convincing world and thought-provoking movie. I can watch this film again and again and still find it wonderfully involving and moving. I still consider it one of the finest sci-fi pictures of the last several years, if not longer. It's easily one of my favorite films and one of the few I've seen in a long time that I consider close to perfect.
The DVD
VIDEO: I saw "Gattaca" three times in three different theaters, watched the laserdisc (which now suffers from laser-rot) and the original DVD release. The "Superbit" DVD edition presents the film in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen, but with the additional space on this new edition devoted to image quality, there are some improvements to be had. Although I was unfortunately not able to have the original edition on-hand during this review, I think I do know it well enough to make some statements regarding general improvements in quality on this edition from the previous one.
The film boasts sleek, goregeous cinematography and incredible production design, all of which are revealed in finer detail on this new edition. The "Superbit" edition appeared sharper and smoother than I'd ever remembered seeing this picture on home video. While not a massive improvement in definition, the picture did look more well-defined.
I never really thought the original presentation was too problematic to begin with. Some of those little problems do return again here (some minor specks on the print used), but the picture does appear more natural, with little or no edge enhancement and no pixelation. Some light grain is still visible, but that has always been part of this picture.
The film boasts a beautiful color palette; rich deep blues and golden yellows, among other colors. This is really the area where considerable improvement is visible, as colors look noticably richer, bolder and more vibrant. Black level was strong, while flesh tones looked accurate and natural. While this release did not provide a massive improvement over the original release, it really did provide a considerably stronger presentation in a number of aspects of the image quality. Subtitles are presented in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, Thai and Portuguese.
SOUND: "Gattaca" is presented in both Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 on this new "Superbit" edition. I've always quite liked the film's soundtrack. It's certainly not an assault on the senses like many other sci-fi audio presentations, but there's a great deal of atmosphere in nearly every sequence that really adds to the already remarkable tone and feel of the picture.
Surrounds kick in these subtle sounds quite nicely. Echos of footsteps, waves, slight gusts of wind, music, speakers offering announcements and other elements come from the rear speakers on a consistent basis, but offer these touches in a subtle manner that doesn't draw attention. Still, while most of the film is not particularly agressive, there are a couple of sequences that are exceptionally done, including one sequence where cars are zipping down a street and seem to be speeding through the entire room. The ending also delivers some considerable bass.
The most exceptional piece of the audio is Michael Nyman's outstanding score, whose emotion and beauty are remarkable and really add greatly to the picture. The score has nice presence and his reinforced by the surrounds. Dialogue, ambient sounds and other parts are clear, crisp and natural-sounding.
Both soundtracks are quite good, but the DTS soundtrack did bring additional clarity and detail to the proceedings, as well as deeper bass in a few scenes. Nyman's score also gained further presence and warmth in the DTS edition.
MENUS: Like all the other "Superbit" titles, there's no flash or animation to the menus to make more space for audio/video.
EXTRAS: It's a bit dissapointing that Columbia/Tristar didn't decide to persue a "special edition" re-release, but it's nice to have the film presented with stronger quality. Like all the other "Superbit" titles, there's no extras to make more space for audio/video.
Final Thoughts: Inspiring, beautifully acted, deeply emotional, stunningly photographed, phenomenally scored and magnifcently written, "Gattaca" remains one of my favorite pictures of all time. While I am dissapointed that Columbia/Tristar has not decided to produce a "special edition" re-release, I am very pleased to be able to view this film with the exceptional, improved audio/video included on this edition. If you haven't seen the film before, I would absolutely, positively recommend picking up this Superbit edition of the picture. Fans of the film might also want to consider picking up this new edition, which boasts stronger video and somewhat better audio quality than the previous release.
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