7.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A genetically inferior man assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel.
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Gore Vidal, Alan ArkinThriller | 100% |
Drama | 99% |
Sci-Fi | 95% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean, Thai
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Over the past decade or so, Writer / Director Andrew Niccol has churned out some of the most thought-provoking films in Hollywood. From the allegorical The Truman Show to the political Lord of War, his films always find the perfect balance of topicality and pure entertainment. Released in 1997, Gattaca was Niccol’s first film and firmly established his reputation as a filmmaker unafraid of asking big questions with his films. Gattaca shows us a not-too-distant future society where eugenics has become the prevailing order.
Coming soon to Marin County: Rockets!
Sony has given Gattaca their standard 1080p treatment using the AVC/Mpeg-4 compression codec. The film is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.40:1, so black bars will be present on the top and bottom of the screen. Gattaca was filmed using a large number of filters and other techniques to give it a very unique, almost sepia-toned look. All of the film's outdoor scenes have a yellowish hue to them, perhaps intending to signify some sort of environmental problem in this future society. Indoor scenes are vivid and brightly colored in most spots. Gattaca is also a very shadowy film. Many scenes seem to exist as the camera weaves in and out of shadows and dark locations.
Over all, Gattaca looks remarkable on Blu-ray. This had to be a very tricky film to encode and the results are often breathtaking. Black levels and shadow detail are spot-on while color is appropriately vivid. Flesh-tones are also well represented and often mimic the tone of the environment they are placed within. There are no compression artifacts present with the exception of a slight amount of edge enhancement. It's a real shame to see this, as it mars an otherwise perfect Blu-ray presentation. Fortunately, it isn't excessive to the point of being distracting. Ultimately, despite its many visual challenges Gattaca on Blu-ray hits almost all of the right notes.
As is the case with almost all of Sony's latest Blu-ray releases, Gattaca arrives with a stellar 48kHz/16-bit lossless Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. In addition to the standard English soundtrack, alternate language support is also provided in the form of both French and Portuguese Dolby TrueHD tracks as well as a Spanish Dolby Digital offering. Subtitles are also plentiful with support for English, English SDH, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Thai and Portuguese. Native speakers of Klingon are, once again, out of luck.
Gattaca isn't a terribly involving film from a surround standpoint, but there are a number of pivotal scenes in which surround plays an important part. Take for example the scene where Vincent and Irene (Uma Thurman) have to race across a busy expressway: The surround channels are intensely active during this heart-pounding moment as cars whiz and buzz around the surround field. Aside from this moment, there isn't much more to Gattaca than dialogue and the occasional ambient fill. Of course, the TrueHD track does its job admirably by rendering dialogue as crisp and clear at all times. Gattaca won't impress your friends with explosions and gunfire, but it is otherwise exactly as it should be.
This Blu-ray edition of Gattaca comes armed with all of the supplements included in the SD DVD version of the film. While not a fantastic collection, there are a few things here worth checking out.
Here's what's included:
- Welcome to Gattaca (HD) – Created especially for the Blu-ray release of Gattaca, this featurette dives into both the technical side of the production of the film as well as into the deeper ideas behind Andrew Niccol's story.
- Featurette - Unfortunately, this is nothing more than promotional filler.
- Do Not Alter? - Here's a worthwhile little feature! Narrated by Gore Vidal, "Do Not Alter?" covers the ethics and controversy surrounding genetic engineering and serves as a primer for Gattaca, itself.
- Deleted Scenes - Presented in horribly over compressed standard definition, these scenes are pretty hard to watch. However, there are quite a few nice items here and fans of the film will enjoy the content.
- Substance Test Outtake - A throwaway outtake that's not worth your time.
Gattaca is an entirely original science fiction film that strives to present a frightening vision of the future. Of course, it isn't frightening in a scary-monster sense, but more of a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of genetic engineering and how it could negatively effect society. I've always been a fan of Gattaca and sincerely hope that this excellent Blu-ray release allows more people to see the film. Die hard Blu-ray fans will appreciate the stellar video transfer offered up on this disc, while audio purists will enjoy the film's simple yet effective sound design. All told, Gattaca is a worthy collection to any Blu-ray collection. Recommended!
The Final Cut
1982
Special Edition
1951
40th Anniversary Edition
1977
2007
2016
2015
2006
1997
2009
2008
Re-Release
2006
1971
Includes "The Invisible Boy" on SD
1956
2017
The George Lucas Director's Cut
1971
1999
2000
2006
2016
2009