Gattaca [DVD] [1998] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

I've read a review that focuses on fingernail clippings and criticises the special effects which has spurred me to defend this film.

Yes, in the opening credits we see closeups of finger nail clippings falling to the floor, but they are almost beautiful set against the light blue background. However, I don't know many people that are only interested in the opening credits.

So, if you think science fiction is only about special effects, go watch a big budget, badly acted, 'run of the mill', 'Sci-Fi' film. If you want to watch a modern classic of the science fiction genre watch Gattaca.

The visuals in this film are amazing. The cyber-punk world, that we are presented with, features a beautiful mix of many different periods of the last century. Everything is sleek and smooth. This film is science fiction for the young professional.

When I buy a DVD and there are deleted scenes on it, I always think to myself that one or two of them should have been left in. However watching Gattaca's 'Lost Scenes' I realized just how much this film had been crafted. None of these sequences deserved being placed into the film. This film really is a work of art. Everything is just right.

Forget about the science fiction for a moment though. This film is inspiring. The cover states "There is no gene for the human spirit". This film tells us that we can do anything. Nothing is set in stone, we can control our own fate.

When I'm depressed I watch this film, it motivates me, like no other.

The only real shock was that Danny DeVito was a producer on this film. My opinion of him has altered post-Gattaca.

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In fact, it is the genetic code which determines all. Test-tube babies are the norm for anyone who wants to have a chance; screening out imperfections has become routine, and those who have the misfortune of being born outside the system of genetic checks and balances will find themselves invalid (in-valid in the sense of not valid for work, as well as invalid in the sense of incapacitated for advancement). Society has been structured around a pre-defined sense of potential as projected by genetic codes. But there are a few who challenge the system.

Meet Vincent, a.k.a. Jerome Morrow (played by Ethan Hawke), who dreams of the stars and lusts for a position at Gattaca (the new-age NASA), but with the genetic code of a loser. Enter Jerome Morrow, a.k.a. Eugene (played by Jude Law), who has the potential, but also a broken spinal cord -- he lends Vincent, through an ingenious and intricate system, his genetic sequence. In this guise, Vincent thus rises to the position of navigator, selected for the great Titan/Saturn mission.

Then, the director gets murdered. A flake of skin falls from Vincent which the investigators find, and the chase is on. The launch is a week away. Will Vincent outrun the pursuers in time?

Of course, Vincent's pursuers are led by his brother, the genetically-planned offspring of the family, who thought that Vincent was dead. There is an ultimate contest, which Vincent wins, proving the victory of determination over pre-determination.

Vincent, in the person of Jerome, falls in love with Irene (played by Uma Thurman), who works at Gattaca in a sort of genetic quality-control position. She falls in love the potential, the idea of Jerome, but eventually comes to love the imperfect Vincent. She herself, for all the genetic planning, also has an imperfection, which makes her all the more attractive to Vincent.

Gore Vidal has a small but crucial role as a flight director in charge of keeping things on track (with style!) as the murder investigation threatens the operations at Gattaca.

This movie is a visually interesting, unique, and much under-rated and under appreciated show. It won awards for art direction and other stylistic touches, including the Oscar.

I won't spoil the ending, but suffice it to say that Vincent and Jerome both leave the earth.

'For someone never meant for this world, I must confess, I'm suddenly having a hard time leaving it. Of course, they say that every atom of our body was once part of a star. Maybe I'm not leaving. Maybe I'm going home.'

Interestingly, the idea of genetics is woven into the movie in very many ways, some subtle, some explicit. The very title, Gattaca, consists of the strands of bases that comprise the double helix of DNA G (guanine), A (adenine), C (cytosine), and T (thymine) -- the sequence of these bases constitutes genetic information, much as the arrangement of the 26 letters of this alphabet constitutes information.

This is a clever film, a bit slow, but stylish, suspenseful, wonderfully visual, and well worth a weekend evening investment.

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