Written by Andrew Niccol
Directed by Andrew Niccol

The future is something often speculated on in films. Very rarely is it shown optimistically. Instead, it seems to be something we should continue to fear. Usually, these are cautionary tales, and Gattaca is no different. Like many science fiction films that depict the future, the one presented in Gattaca seems bleak and sterile. Imagination and art seem to have no place in it.

Sometime in the future, Ethan Hawke is Jerome, only he’s not Jerome. The building that Jerome works in is cold and soulless. The walls are barren. It is a world where perfection is valued. Children are not conceived and born. Instead, they are conceived outside of the womb and perfect embryos pre-screened for all manner of defects are selected. Not Jerome.

Jerome was actually born Vincent, conceived in love by his parents. Among his defects is his nearsightedness and a heart defect which it is determined will kill him by the time he’s 30. He’s deemed to be INVALID. This holds him back in various ways, including from his dream of working in space.

Frustrated, Vincent is introduced to the real Jerome (portrayed by Jude Law) by a DNA broker. This Jerome was a world-class swimmer who was injured and is confined to a wheelchair. A few other alterations and Vincent begins assuming Jerome’s identity, using various forms of his DNA as his own. To avoid confusion, the real Jerome begins calling himself Eugene.

Jerome (Vincent) is selected for a launch to Titan and is training when the mission director is found murdered. One of his eyelashes is found near the scene, so authorities are looking for Vincent, while he is under their noses in the person of Jerome.

He also embarks on a tepid romance with Irene (portrayed by Uma Thurman). Irene herself is an INVALID due to issues with her heart as well. As their romance heats up, so does the pressure on Jerome due to the murder investigation. All of this builds as the date of his launch grows closer and closer.

I found myself totally engrossed in the story. It’s suspenseful as the question is if Jerome/Vincent will be tied to the murder and if he will make the launch and achieve his dream. The romance really is secondary, although it’s interesting to watch Irene’s actions as the truth comes out.

It’s also a caution about what happens when good science goes bad. We are fast getting to the place where we can screen babies in-utero for a variety of genetic defects. What happens when, in the quest to eliminate these “defects” from our society, we take it a bit too far? I would imagine in some countries where male babies are more valued than female babies, they breed themselves out of existence in a couple of generations. However, do we screen out any variables in our child’s life to the point that scientists can take an embryo and predict when it will die and of what, should the embryo come to term? Do we discard an embryo simply because the result will be a nearsighted child?

The acting is great. The pivotal moments involve Ethan Hawke and Jude Law and they play off each other quite well. Despite all his genetic engineering, Law’s character is the one with the most faults. He can’t handle the adversity of his life not being what it was supposed to be. Hawke’s character is driven to achieve and actually is the better character despite his alleged “defects”. The two play off each other incredibly well.

Hawke is terrific, pulling off what is almost two totally different characters at times. He is convincing in both roles. He’s helped by the fact that those around him rely more on what technology tells them rather than what their eyes and other senses tell them. Hawke doesn’t fool us by looking like Law, but his single-minded determination to achieve his goal propels him to do everything necessary, right down to the smallest detail. Hawke becomes this without seeming too compulsive. And strikes the perfect balance.

The secondary characters are all fine. I had to wonder about the two police officers investigating the murder, but then it all made sense in the end. Irene is a bit underwritten, but Thurman handles her part in the whole suspense play quite well.

My only complaint is that the attention to detail does slow Gattaca down quite a bit. There are times the story seems to plod along, and you have to pay attention because the little details are pivotal to the entire story.

I liked Gattaca a lot more than I expected to. I was expecting another hack film preaching doom and gloom about the future. Instead, there’s a slick mystery in a futuristic setting that’s also a warning about the direction our science is taking today. It’s definitely worth checking out.



SPECIAL FEATURES:

” Lost Scenes
” Poster Gallery
” Photo Gallery
” Theatrical Trailer
” Documentary