Blu-ray Review: Gattaca

THE MOVIE: 4 stars out of 5

Set in the future, Gattaca is a story about a society in which a person’s future is determined not by the color of their skin or the quality of their character but by their DNA. A person who’s future is determined in utero, where their DNA is analyzed for health issues, longevity of life, hair color, intelligence etc. and then genetically engineered to maximize a person’s potential. Normal births, that is those without genetic engineering, are no longer a fact of life. A person’s entire future, including the level of their education and the type of job they are assigned, are decided not by the results of their efforts but by their DNA profile. Into this future comes the main character, Vincent Freeman, who is born without the “benefit” of genetic engineering and is assigned the job of a janitor at an aerospace firm. Vincent has other ideas however and want to travel in space, to Saturn’s moon Titan in particular, and sets out to make his dream happen. Along with hard work and tremendous sacrifice and the help of a mysterious figure, Vincent assumes the identity of Jerome Morrow, a genetically engineered star who is disabled in a freak accident and no longer able to function as his life was planned for him. Filled with twists and turns, Gattaca explores the issues of genetic engineering and the subject of discrimination in general. Gattaca stars Ethan Hawke as Vincent, Jude Law as Jerome Morrow and co-stars Uma Thurman, Gore Vidal and Alan Arkin. Recommended.

THE VIDEO: 4 3/4 stars out of 5

Gattaca is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2:40:1 and looks excellent, heads and tails over is prior incarnation on DVD. This transfer has excellent detail and blacks with a clear, sharp and very three dimensional image. Color reproduction is excellent as well although the film has a rather stylized look in regards to color. Flesh tones in particular vary depending on whether the scenes are interior or exterior. The interior scenes have a yellowish-green tint. This however, is the choice of the film maker and not a problem with the transfer. This film looks exactly as the director intended. Particularly impressive is the level of detail visible in each scene, both in bright and darker scenes. The texture of skin and clothing is excellent and really shows off the benefit of high def.

THE AUDIO: 4 1/2 stars out of 5

The audio on this release is presented in Dolby True HD. No PCM track is presented. I am sure that some will be disappointed with this fact as some Blu-Ray players are not able to internally decode True HD. However, the sound on this release is very, very good even if not quite up to the level of the video. Dialogue is crisp and clear and well presented in the mix. The overall sound on this release is smooth and open with excellent bass. The surrounds are rather effectively used to give the viewer a palpable sense of space. The echoes of people walking and talking in Gattaca is very realistic and gives you the felling of what it would be like actually being in the building. Where the sound falls a tad short is in the fullness of the dialogue which is a tad on the thin side. Also, while the film gives a good immersive sound field, it is not as immersive as the very best track, which just surround you with sound. Nevertheless, I doubt that any fans of the film will be disappointed with the sound on this release.

IN CONCLUSION

Gattaca is a thought provoking film about the role and effect of discrimination in society and is presented with an excellent video encode and very good sound. It is well worth a look. Recommended.

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