Cheesy sci-fi thriller. Angsty 90s politically charged Christian Slater in his prime. Gattaca and Pump Up the Volume are

two films circa the 1990s that are two prime examples of the power of film. Gattaca was almost revolutionary for its time.

It sparked a huge debate on eugenics, genetic cloning, and other modern, controversial scientific procedures. Pump Up

the Volume is similar in the fact that it drives home a clear, identifiable message. It shows the power of media and youth,

and how explosive both can be when combined.

Gattaca stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman as Vincent and Irene. The film is dated, and serves almost as an artifact

of the 90s themselves. Something that interested me was that, upon further research, I found out the film essentially

flopped at the box office. It lost almost 20 million dollars. Its total domestic gross was 12.5 million dollars, while the

budget closed in at 36 million. This speaks to the film’s public reception in its day, although critically it was a success.

Rotten Tomatoes and Roger Ebert (basically the father of modern film criticism) both hail the film as successful,

thought-provoking, and good. So why is it that the dollars were simply not there?

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that sci-fi’s come up was in the 90s. Think of The Matrix which was a success,

but almost the first of its kind. Although other sci-fi was popular and pretty much did well at the box office, was the

audience there? Today sci-fi and superhero movies appeal to pretty much everyone. Marvel and DC know the popularity

of their products, and market their films in order to appeal to a wider audience. This is called distribution and publicity.

Almost every studio does this because it’s smart. If more people are represented in a movie, more people will want to see

said movie, which means more money. Yes, film is an art form. But it’s also a business. A director can make the most

poignant, moving film, but with no distribution or marketing, it’ll flop. Even a film with enough advertising, and enough

marketing will sometimes flop. Sometimes good movies do really bad, other time bad movies do really good. Gattaca is

a good movie. Is it dated? Yes. Does the script sometimes feel choppy or brash? Sure. But the message of the film is

important. It set the trail for similar movies today that deal with the topics of social issues within film. The film also ends

on an almost cynical, quite existential point. Vincent muses on the state of humanity, proclaiming he feels more human

leaving Earth, than he ever did on it. Is one to believe that the film chronicles his life, that he simply dies after the film?

Or is it perhaps a remembrance on the state of humanity itself?

Pump Up the Volume stars Christian Slater in his prime as a introverted high schooler by day, and a daring radio host by

night. It similarly addresses issues of humanity. Although its premise is in a teenager’s own form of self-expression:

a nightly radio program. It deals with censorship of the media and of oneself. It addresses something we have particularly

covered in our class so far: the so-called “Watchdog” of the government: the media. But what happens when that watchdog

fails time after time? What happens when the people themselves must check both the media and the government. This is

the premise of Pump Up the Volume. Similarly to Gattaca, the film was not a financial success, instead it tanked. But the

reviews were unilaterally good despite this. It gained an almost cult following over the years, and was revered as an

underground classic. The film reminded me of 1984 meets Heathers. The tone is sharp and funny, and proves to be an entertaining

and thought-provoking watch. The end ignites the viewer to root for social change and upheaval. The whole film deliberately

conveys a specific message. Ultimately, Pump Up the Volume and Gattaca both are rooted in social change, in revolution.

Even though financially they were not successes, they remain part of the pop culture canon of youth and rebellion.