Rotten Tomatoes Logo Do you want to see ‘Gattaca’?

Gattaca (1997)

tomatometer

82

Average Rating: 7.1/10
Reviews Counted: 55
Fresh: 45 | Rotten: 10

Intelligent and scientifically provocative, Gattaca is an absorbing sci fi drama that poses important interesting ethical questions about the nature of science.

55

Average Rating: 6.1/10
Critic Reviews: 11
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 5

Intelligent and scientifically provocative, Gattaca is an absorbing sci fi drama that poses important interesting ethical questions about the nature of science.

audience

82

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 176,944

My Rating

Movie Info

New Zealand screenwriter Andrew Niccol (The Truman Show) made his feature directorial debut with this science fiction drama, set in a future when one's life is determined by genetic engineering rather than education or experience. The wealthy can choose the genetic makeup of their descendants. People are designed to fit into whatever role is decided before birth. But what happens when someone desires another way of life? Citizens in this impersonal future-world are fashioned as perfect

PG-13, 1 hr. 46 min.

Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy

,

Andrew M. Niccol

May 5, 1998

Columbia Pictures

Cast

All Critics (55) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (10) | DVD (29)

I didn't care enough about Hawke's character to ignore a big problem in the story's logic: if this future has such incredible biotechnology, why can't Law just get his damaged body parts fixed?

June 5, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comments (29)
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

One of first Hollywood films about the effects of genetic engineering on human conduct, Andrew Niccol's directing debut is an intelligent and timely sci-fi that, despite some illogical plot contrivances, is emotionally engaging almost up to the end.

July 5, 2006 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Designer babies rule dystopia in stylish SF thriller filled with recycled plot devices.

April 12, 2002 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | Comment
Globe and Mail
Top Critic IconTop Critic

It's far too serious to be taken seriously.

February 14, 2001 Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | Comments (5)
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

At a time when we read about cloned sheep and tomatoes crossed with fish, the science in Gattaca is theoretically possible.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | Comment
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

An impressively fine-tuned first feature from Andrew Niccol.

January 1, 2000 Comment
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

has enough suspense and pacing to stand as a thriller, but more than enough philosophical and moral questions to make it intellectually stimulating

April 30, 2008 Full Review Source: Q Network Film Desk | Comment
Q Network Film Desk

It predicts the way the world would change in 2001--and how our films would reflect that change.

April 2, 2008 Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | Comment
Film Freak Central

Ripe for reappraisal...the storytelling integrity and thoughtful themes of a good novel.

March 21, 2008 Comment

The sleek, handsome look makes the most of a limited budget to create the cold, emotionless surface of a world where everyone lives in dire fear of someone finding out their own private secret.

March 20, 2008 Full Review Source: MSN.com | Comment
MSN.com

A modern sci-fi classic comes home to high-def in a gorgeous new transfer.

March 18, 2008 Full Review Source: ReelzChannel.com | Comment

As sci-fi films go, Gattaca goes well beyond the usual by offering a work of real depth. And yes, it looks superb in Blu-ray.

March 10, 2008 Full Review Source: Movie Metropolis | Comment
Movie Metropolis

This stately, stunningly beautiful picture evokes a future in which present-day prejudices and neuroses have been taken to new, insidious scientifically rationalized heights.

June 5, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | Comment
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Intelligent and suspenseful.

June 5, 2007 Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | Comment
Christian Science Monitor

Andrew Niccol signe avec Gattaca une %u0153uvre de science-fiction dont l'intelligence n'a d'égal que son raffinement exceptionnel sur le plan esthétique et narratif.

October 29, 2006 Full Review Source: Panorama | Comment

Chilly, elegant, and a little bloodless.

June 24, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment (1)

One of my favorite sci-fi films of recent years.

May 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | Comment
Combustible Celluloid

A cautionary tale of the dangers of unchecked technology, Gattaca would have benefited from a more assured directing hand.

April 9, 2005 Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | Comment
Reeling Reviews

There's a window on a possible future, a warning about the wages of sin, and enough beauty to make this a lasting classic of modern science fiction.

December 6, 2004 Comment
Looking Closer

O interessante conceito se dilui em uma trama policial óbvia.

May 19, 2004 Comment
Cinema em Cena

It's not the meek who have inherited the Earth, but genetic freaks....this visionary science-fiction drama is a marvel of futuristic art and costume design on a spare budget.

February 9, 2004 Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | Comment

A well-directed, visually stunning morally complex tale. There is no gene for a good movie.

May 22, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Blather | Comment
Film Blather

Despite its flaws, this is still a fascinating story, and adequate performances by Hawke, Law, and Uma Thurman.

February 8, 2003 Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | Comment
Film Quips Online
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Gattaca

An amzing sci fi classic. Hawke and Thurman shine. The whole idea of gene manipulation in the future is such a scary storyline.

June 6, 2008
jmanard52

Super Reviewer

In a future society where a person's worth is judged by their designer genes, a would-be astronaut forms an illegal partnership with a crippled Olympic athlete to cheat the system but they are threatened with exposure when the mission director is murdered. Gattaca is one of those thoughtful, concept sci-fis that trades

November 7, 2006
garyX
xGary Xx

Super Reviewer

    1. Vincent Freeman: Of course, they say every atom in our bodies was once part of a star.
    – Submitted by Mariana B (2 months ago)
    1. Vincent Freeman: For future reference, right-handed men don't hold it with their left.
    – Submitted by Sharon C (4 months ago)
    1. Vincent Freeman: For someone who was never meant for this world, I must confess I'm suddenly having a hard time leaving it. Of course, they say every atom in our bodies was once part of a star. Maybe I'm not leaving... maybe I'm going home.
    – Submitted by Roberto P (7 months ago)
    1. Jerome Morrow: I got the better end of the deal. I only lent you my body - you lent me your dream.
    – Submitted by Roberto P (7 months ago)
    1. Vincent Freeman: You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it.
    2. Young Anton: I never saved anything for the swim back.
    – Submitted by Roberto P (7 months ago)

Latest News for Gattaca

January 4, 2011:
NASA Names Most Realistic (and Unrealistic) Sci-Fi Films
From "Gattaca" to "2012," NASA has ranked the most (and least) realistic sci-fi films of all time.

October 10, 2007:
Total Recall: We Own The Night and Other Sibling Showdowns
This week, We Own the Night hits theaters, telling the story of two brothers (played by Joaquin...

What's Hot On RT

RT on DVD & Blu-Ray
RT on DVD & Blu-Ray

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1

<em>Amazing Spider-Man</em>
Amazing Spider-Man

See the all-new action-packed trailer!

The Avengers!
The Avengers!

Five new Marvelous pictures

Total Recall
Total Recall

Unconventional Superheroes

Top Movie Quizzes

LEGO Mania: 2011 Best Picture Nominees
by natalie - 18,513 taken
created 12 months ago
How Much Do You Know About Leonardo DiCaprio?
by natalie - 44,304 taken
created 15 months ago
Pixar Movies!
by jdikwlzviv - 27,074 taken
created 15 months ago
The Wizards of Harry Potter
by jdikwlzviv - 27,586 taken
created 15 months ago

Foreign Titles

  • Bienvenue à Gattaca (FR)
Help | About | Jobs | Newsletter | Critics Submission | API | Licensing | Blog | Developers | Mobile