Finally watched Gattaca this weekend - it's been on my watch list for a long time, but never got round to it for some reason. Glad I did. I found it intriguing and interesting.
In a world controlled by gene manipulation, where babies are given the best start that their parents can afford, you either succeed because that's how you are designed, or you fail because that's how nature crapped on you. Vincent is the prime example - a 'natural' birth, with all the associated defects and random issues, and the polar opposite of his younger brother Anton, who was given every possible genetic opportunity after Vincent showed his father the error of such a decision. But Vincent isn't prepared to settle for a lowly job as an In-Valid. He wants to travel to the stars, but in a world where genetic fingerprinting is used everywhere, how does he overcome the system built to identify him from every single cell?
The film is certainly not without its faults, not least that people shed DNA all the time, wherever they go, and so living such a sterile life outside of a shrink-wrapped, hermetically sealed suit would be utterly impossible. However, the premise of a future split into utopia and distopia based on your genes is an interesting one and the characters are all engaging to the point where you get drawn into the story. Ethan Hawke, Alan Arkin and Jude Law certainly shine, with Uma Thurman probably the weakest of the main leads, not because she isn't good (she is) but simply because she could be given so much more to do within the story line.
