Gattaca Review
by James Sanford (jasanfor AT MCI2000 DOT com)February 3rd, 1998
GATTACADirected by Andrew Niccol
In the future, a "love child" could face problems far worse than anything ever imagined by Diana Ross and the Supremes. After all, in the world of "Gattaca," the right genetic make-up determines your future, and parents are willing to pay plenty for designer genes to ensure that their children live long, healthy and comfortable lives. Those unlucky enough to be "natural births" run the risk of being labelled "in-valid," a title that guarantees a future of menial work.
Such is the pre-determined destiny of Vincent (Ethan Hawke), the product of his parents' romantic getaway on "the Detroit Riveria." Vincent dreams of being an astronaut, but, having been born with poor vision and a 99 percent chance of heart disease, he's quickly set straight by his father, who warns him that "the only way you'll see the inside of a spaceship is if you're cleaning it." So what's a guy to do but borrow the identity (i.e. the blood, urine, skin cells and hair) of a "valid" to get into Gattaca, the training ground for astronauts? "Gattaca" is a smart, beautifully crafted piece of not-so-science-fiction that manages to successfully mix social commentary and suspense into a generally enthralling story. Writer-director Andrew Niccol's vision of the world of the near-future is strikingly simple, an environment dominated by golden hues and dull greys, sparked ocassionally by electric blues and greens. While technology has marched ahead--with instant DNA analysis making life much easier for police officers and employers--fashion has gone back to the Camelot years, with men confined in rigid business suits and women sweeping up their hair into Doris Day-style honeybuns. Michael Nyman's spare neo-classical score complements the picture beautifully. Vincent's risky masquerade would have provided more than enough of a plotline by itself, but Niccol raises the stakes by introducing a love interest (Uma Thurman) whose outer perfection hides her inner weaknesses, as well as including a hastily resolved murder subplot that's easily the movie's flimsiest element. Niccol also gets solid performances out of Hawke and Jude Law, as the crippled genetic superman who sells his persona to Vincent. Aside from looking gorgeous throughout, Thurman doesn't have much to do, but she seems much more at home here than she did in the campy climate of "Batman & Robin." Unlike most recent science-fiction, "Gattaca" actually gives you something to talk about on the way home, and you're certain to think of it again the next time you clip your fingernails and buff away some dry skin.
James Sanford
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