Gattaca Andrew Niccol

Critical response

Gattaca received positive reviews from critics. The film received an approval rating of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 66 reviews, with a rating average of 7.1/10. The site's critical consensus states that "Intelligent and scientifically provocative, Gattaca is an absorbing sci-fi drama that poses important interesting ethical questions about the nature of science."[23] On Metacritic, the film received "generally favorable reviews" with a score of 64 out of 100, based on 20 reviews.[24] Roger Ebert stated, "This is one of the smartest and most provocative of science fiction films, a thriller with ideas."[25] James Berardinelli praised it for "energy and tautness" and its "thought-provoking script and thematic richness."[26]

Although critically acclaimed, Gattaca was not a box office success, but it is said to have crystallized the debate over the controversial topic of human genetic engineering.[27][28] The film's dystopian depiction of "genoism" has been cited by many bioethicists and laypeople in support of their hesitancy about, or opposition to, eugenics and the societal acceptance of the genetic-determinist ideology that may frame it.[29] In a 1997 review of the film for the journal Nature Genetics, molecular biologist Lee M. Silver stated that "Gattaca is a film that all geneticists should see if for no other reason than to understand the perception of our trade held by so many of the public-at-large".[30]

Accolades