Review of Gattaca (1997) by Diego T — 04 Jul 2013

Gattaca is the last of two things: Truly thought-provoking dystopian science fiction films, and Uma Thurman's career. Seriously, besides Kill Bill, she hasn't made a good movie since then. But back to the topic at hand-- Gattaca has been one of my favorite films ever since my science teacher showed it to our class in 7th grade.

What this film is NOT is flashy. It's a very bland, quiet, and overall unremarkable series of events. There's no zing, no pop, and certainly no spectacular action sequences. But when you get fed up with movies like Mission: Impossible 2 and Bad Boys, this is where you should turn to. Playing like a modern-day take on the classic Brave New World (by Aldous Huxley), the film is about a future in which people have their lives decided for them, as natural birth has all but vanished and given way to test tube babies. These genetically engineered perfect humans are smart, physically fit, and have a complete lack of mental health problems. Unfortunately for Vincent (Ethan Hawke), he wasn't born genetically engineered, he was born in the womb-- hence his lower status in society and inability to find a respectable line of work.

To combat his standing in the world, Vincent enlists the help of a man (a great cameo by Tony Shalhoub) whose job is to help non-genetically altered people to assume the identity of those with the extra advantages. He sets Vince up with a suitable double (Jude Law), and he takes over his life. Vincent, now perceived by society as a higher class of person and disguised as Law, is able to navigate his way to the upper crust of Gattaca-- the futuristic space exploration company that is based in the San Rafael Civic Center (the rockets that take off in the film look as if they're taking off from my house).

Gattaca features a rare science fiction ensemble cast, with Ethan Hawke, Alan Arkin, Jude Law, Uma Thurman, Ernest Borgnine, Tony Shalhoub, and Xander Berkeley (who 24 fans will know as George Mason). Also, Breaking Bad fans can look closely and catch a glimpse of Hank Schrader in one of the scenes. I refuse to give away the innumerable plot twists that this film has to offer, but I will say this: Gattaca is a well-acted, dramatic, powerful, and suspenseful film that questions whether or not science will go too far in the near future. It's poignant, it's witty, and (although it's already looking a little dated) it's held up reasonably well.

Gattaca really isn't your grandpa's science fiction-- gone are the days of alien abductions and flying saucers-- this one's all about the people and how they interact. Thurman's realization that Hawke is not genetically pure is very well-done... but it's the fact that she doesn't care that really puts the series of scenes over the edge. All the characters interact unbelievably well, and Jude Law delivers one of his best performances to date as a wheelchair-bound former Olympic swimmer with a drinking problem.

Final Score for Gattaca: 8/10 stars. It doesn't quite try to be revolutionary, but it fucking comes close. Altogether a superb film that (although maybe not particularly memorable) definitely predicted some of the technological advancements of today. George Orwell would be proud.