Review of Gattaca (1997) by Esteban G — 07 Sep 2014

Gattaca is the tale of a near future where mankind is able to genetically engineer their children before they are born in order to weed out any imperfections. In this world Vincent, played by Ethan Hawke, is an outcast because he was conceived in the more conventional fashion. I feel the world they created is a bit far-fetched, but the ideas of racism and discrimination really transcend whatever reality they've manufactured. My biggest complaint about the setup of the film was just the choice to use voice-over, when they were already showing the events of Vincent's life. Despite that minor flaw in the setup, I love how this story plays out. It's intriguing how Ethan Hawke must go to so much work to not only avoid being detected because he is masquerading as part of the genetically elite, but also to excel intellectually as a member of this organization. It all works perfectly to not only challenge what we as a society are doing with the science and technology being developed and the power it gives us, but it forces the viewer to look at the discrimination we are dealing with in the present day. You can really see it in the look on some of the faces of the "Valid" members of society in Gattaca when Vincent exceeds their expectations of an "Invalid." It's rare that a movie like this says so much with such a simple premise, and this one feels entirely relevant and current despite the fact that it was made 17 years ago.

I absolutely loved Ethan Hawke and Jude Law in this movie. Their relationship was so interesting and the contrast of their journeys throughout the film was amazing. I also liked how they took the less obvious route and made older Alan Arkin the cop who relies 100% on the modern technology, and Loren Dean was the youngster who wanted to use more conventional methods of detection (and that pays off with a nice twist at the end.) There are 2 things that I don't like in Gattaca, unfortunately, and one of them is pretty significant and hurts my opinion of the movie. The less vital one is a spoiler, so don't read the next couple sentences if you want to avoid spoilers. I didn't enjoy the doctor being aware of Vincent's Invalid status. To me it diminished some of the impact of the film, and made Vincent's efforts to avoid detection seem less important. The bigger issue I had with the film, and this one grated on my nerves quite a lot, was Uma Thurman. I did not find her character integral to the plot, I was annoyed by a number of her acting choices (as I always seem to be,) and I felt my interest in the story wavering every time she was on screen. That being said, this film was still remarkable. I love how they were able to create a lot of tension in certain scenes, to the point where I can hardly breathe because I'm so concerned Vincent will be discovered. I would definitely recommend Gattaca (and crank that up to a must-see for people who have a high tolerance for Uma.).