Reviews by:
@michaels_movie_bay
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4.5/5
In the future, genotype profiling is encouraged and scientists genetically engineer children for maximum potential. These “valids” are given every opportunity while “invalids” are relegated to society’s most menial roles. When “invalid” Vincent (Hawke) aspires to greatness, he must team up with Jerome (Law) to transcend his status. But a brutal murder threatens everything they hope to achieve.
Gattaca’s high-concept sci-fi premise does not dominate the film but instead serves as a dystopian backdrop for the struggles the characters face throughout the film. And while the concepts are original and thought-provoking, the filmmakers seem much more concerned with exploring the depths of human emotion and experience than with the science behind their existence.
Gattaca is an entertaining cat and mouse thriller that is unafraid of delving deeply into difficult themes. The characters wrestle with the meaning of life, the role of science in society, the ethics of genetic engineering, and even the existence of God and the interplay of faith and biology. Its thematic depth immerses itself in grey areas, providing more questions than answers. As a result, the film is haunting, often unsettling, and one that I will be thinking about for some time.
Ethan Hawke is absolutely phenomenal in his role as Vincent Freeman, a “faith-birth” who aspires to the honors bestowed on his engineered sibling. The rivalry of species is the propulsive force behind every choice Vincent makes. Jude Law is ruinously cynical as Jerome, a “valid” who cannot shake the dissonance between his superior DNA and his imperfect reality. And as these characters find common ground, their conversations become that much more meaningful and devastating.
Andrew Niccol, whose writing and directing credits are decidedly hit (The Truman Show) or miss (In Time) is an expert at creating concepts and building worlds. Gattaca is the perfect marriage between a grounded futuristic story and quality filmmaking. From a production and narrative standpoint, the film is almost unassailable. Gattaca is an entertaining thriller and a thought-provoking character study and I highly recommend it.
Hot take: starring in a sci-fi movie doesn’t mean you have to play a robot. Sorry, Uma!
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