Allow me to first start off by saying that in terms of movies, 1997 was a hit or miss. Moreover, it seems as though science fiction movies really dominated this year. Gattaca is an excellent example of this theory. With big 90’s names such as Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, and Jude “the one and only” Law sprinkled in the cast it was bound for success. Even with a star cast the writing and directing by Andrew Nicool rockets the movie to new heights.
Nicool will lated be known for his writing for the Truman Show, but you can see his later beliefs start to develop in Gattaca. Nicool uses this movie to really address the idea of perfect genetics. This new form of technology seems to make everyone blind to the presumptuous features such as race, sex, sexual orientation, and others like that. There is one and only one thing people judge you on…your genes. This is an interesting concept because it seems ideal but insanely warped because while people are being discriminated against, they physical features don’t matter.
Overall the plot follows a three act structure with the first act being the history of Vincent, the second act being after the murder and Vincent working to avoid being discovered, and the third act being Vincent confronting his brother one last time, tying things down with Irene and closing the chapter with Jerome. The final quote Jerome says to Vincent caused me to tear up as he told him “I lent you my body…but you…you lent me your dream.”
Overall, truly powerful film with a lot of social issues being discussed. 8/10
Zachary Dalton and Reviews 