Review of Gattaca (1997) by Nick R — 22 May 2013

There's a really interesting theme at the heart of Gattaca, but it's buried under such an endless mound of mediocre decisions that it only briefly surfaces in the film's closing moments. It's a touching moment that comes far too late after a long slog of a film. Gattaca is an icy cold "thriller" without many thrills or immediacy to it. There are gaps in logic essential to buying the premise, and the film clumsily explains the world by completing halting the story after an interesting introduction. Characters are far too serious with little depth or emotional resonance, even though we're told they're the same as regular humans (just with the "best parts"). When the film finally resolves one of its long-running subplots about a murder in an all-too convenient way, it points out just how inconsequential it was in the first place.

Gattaca could have been a great sci-fi film. It's early take on the genetics debate (including humans playing God through manipulation before conception) is unique and worth exploring. It just feels like there's an identity crisis at the script level that can't resolve what kind of film it wants to be. The result is a film that overreaches and is stretched too thin.