Gattaca

UK Release Date: 20th March 1998

A genetically inferior man assumes the identity of a superior one in order to pursue his lifelong dream of space travel (www.imdb.com).

Director: Andrew Niccol (In Time, The Host, Good Kill)

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Alan Arkin

Gattaca is one of the very few science fiction films with a one-of-a-kind world that's depth should have me excited before the title credits even start. Genetic engineering governs lives before birth; flawless people with high IQ's and highly resistant to illness. Ethan Hawke is not one of them. He's an In-Valid, someone born of natural birth, with bad eyesight and a dodgy ticker. This premise is stronger than most of its genre, but the depth of Gattaca doesn't end there. Hawke, the genetically flawed, helps out Jude Law, the physically flawed, by pretending to be him (blood, urine, hair strands, DNA and all) so that 'they' get the chance to pop to outer-space, because anyone imperfect is forbidden. It doesn't even end here! A murder is committed at the space station. All fingers point to the 'guy who's not supposed to be there'. Hawke spends most of the film trying to not blow his cover, whilst getting romantic with work colleague Uma Thurman.

Gattaca is organised mess at its best (setup) and worst (plot) due to an over-commitment to be unique. A society of flawless beings who work like drones show that our flaws make up our personalities and sense of humour. Hawke and Thurman are more steely than wooden, whereas Jude Law's crippled genius is the only character with human instincts. 

Great promise, poor execution. I nearly felt as bored as the desk-workers at the space-station. Gattaca is in much need of a personality.

2.5/5