(*: least, *****: highest)
Gattaca is possibly one of the most inspiring movies I have ever seen. The movie is about a man, an ordinary man fighting for his dream in a world of Superhumans. The movie shows the victory of human spirit wrapped around a thriller which will make you love and hate the future and its possibilities. The tag line of the movie is simply brilliant… “There Is No Gene For The Human Spirit.”
The movie shows a possible future where new babies born into the world are genetically selected to produce almost perfect humans. Disease, Time of Death and capacity of the individual determined by a test at birth is like an id on each human. There is open discrimination not in race, color, caste, religion or creed but between the more able and the unfortunate and less able.
Vincent Freeman(Ethan Hawke) is one of the last of the free born into this world. He has myopia(something absolutely absent in genetically created humans) and is due to die at the age of 30. His only dream is to be in space. Unfortunately the only organization that sends people into space “Gattaca” takes in only “able” humans, the heart condition also rules out the possibility of qualifying for travel into space. Vincent makes it his life’s goal to work in Gattaca… all his effort preparing for the test both physically and mentally is worthless in front of a simple blood test… So instead he assumes the identity of an athlete, Jerome(Jude Law) who is crippled after a car accident and has no use of his identity.
Vincent easily passes the tests(thanks to Jerome’s blood and urine samples) and is very close to achieving his life long dream of a manned mission to Saturn. He constantly passes tests by using Jerome’s samples until one day when the Mission Director is found dead in the office. The matter complicates as Vincent carelessly drops an eyelash at the scene. The police are on a lookout for an ‘invalid’ in a place where only ‘valids’ can enter.
The rest of the movie is a race against the clock for Vincent, to avoid getting caught and to make it to the launch which is a week away without suspicion. To add to his trouble he meets Irene(Uma Thurman) who suspects him to be the killer and he slowly finds himself getting attracted towards her.
Ethan Hawke is good and gives his role the required respect… I am certain that the role could hv been done much better but then again it could hv been much worse too. Jude Law is brilliant in his occasional appearance in the movie. Uma is simply gorgeous and gives the role her best. Her ability is well known and frankly she always seems to have more than enough of her talent to show.
The story is well paced and makes a perfect thriller with enough twists to make you stand up and notice. The movie was made in 97 and does not need much graphics for a sci-fi thriller… most of the beauty is in the simplicity with which a futuristic world was handled.
I give this movie my two thumbs up… This is one movie whose inspiration will stay with you for a long time…