GATTACA

INTRODUCTION: Having spectacularly failed to make an impression at the box office, this minor sci-fi flick is making another desperate attempt at recouping its cost by doing the art-house circuit. Personally I don't want to see the multiplex rejects turning up at the art-houses. As Lizard points out in his review of Gattaca, the multiplexes are full of crap. 

With multiplexes showing "Titanic" on half their screens and "The Full Monty" on the other half (I must confess that I have seen neither films. Yes I'm the one, despite seeing five or six films a week I never managed to find time for them) more screens do indeed seem to mean less choice. Now with art-houses in desperate need to attract audiences starting to snap-up Hollywood's flops the same lack of choice could soon start afflicting art-houses too. Please, for my sake, don't let this happen, start supporting your local art-house it's well worth it. That is, after all, the place I got to see the films Lizard mentioned in his want to see list, from Ang Lee's excellent "The Ice Storm" to David Lynch's baffling "Lost Highway". 

Rant over, back to the film, horrendously miss-marketed as a sci-fi blockbuster, which it is not. It is understandable why this film flopped at the Box Office, and easy to understand why the promoters now think this thoughtful character study, which it is, should do well with the art-house audiences, but it is sadly too late to save this film, as it's unlikely that art-house goers will treat this film seriously after it has been tainted with the brush of commercialism. OK rant really over, now back to the film. 

SYNOPSIS: In a world in which everything is decided by your genes the genetically imperfect in-valid (geddit?) Vincent (Hawke) borrows the identity of the crippled valid (clever huh?) Eugene (Law with another 'clever' character name) to infiltrate the Gattaca corporation and his dreams of a trip into space. Vincent and Eugene develop an "Odd Couple" relationship, based on mutual need, where they share a house with Vincent above and Eugene below, separated by the stylish spiral staircase (double helix, see?). Everything seems to be going well, his mission is approved and he falls in love with the genetically perfect Irene (Thurman in another apt roll following her performance as Kim Basinger's sexier sister and Venus the Goddess of Love) but when the director of Gattaca is murdered the hunt is on for the in-valid in their mist. 

REVIEW: The film is minimalistic almost to the point of nihilism. Plot, set design, special-effects, acting, everything is kept to a bare minimum. Reminiscent of the hard-boiled detective movies of the 30's and 40's this movie ultimately relies on the calibre of its cast. 

Hawkes and Thurman are adequate in their performances, if you can call them that, Borgine and Arkin are completely wasted and Vidal takes minimalism to the point where even I found it difficult to watch. Law, excellent as always, is the only one that really manages to engage the audience, although you still don't particularly care about him. 

I so want to like this movie, that it hurts. They've tried something different, taking sci-fi in a new direction away from the recent special effect blockbuster phase, and been experimental in every facet of film making, but ultimately I can't, because it doesn't work. 

This movie has all the flaws that you generally associate with a directorial debut, the lack of experience shines through in the almost pathological need to be different and the not quite as clever as it thinks it is feel. Lizard's comments on the cinematography are completely justified, the urine-filter is indeed nauseating and like much of the rest of the film an interesting idea that ultimately fails. 

One for fans of Thurman and "water-sports", preferably together. 

Mutt's Rating: *** 

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