Double Helix

-A review of “Gattaca”

Rivalry between two brothers spurs a futuristic identity swap maintained by fastidious rituals.

Andrew Niccol’s (1997) film Gattaca is an American science fiction drama about two brothers and genetic engineering. The society has become driven by liberal eugenics. You are born either a “Valid” or an “In-valid” and through biometrics your are instantly classifiable on this genetic registry.

Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) has none of this elite gene pool; he is one of the last “natural” beings in the world. His life is destined to take him on a path of dead-end jobs and into the social underclass. His determination to change this “fate” leads him to assume another’s identity. To complete his transformation he must deceive the authorities on a daily basis, not allowing a single strand of his DNA to fall into the hands of Gattaca.

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction – Set Direction in 1997. Directed by Danny Devito, Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher this is a film of a typical sci-fi, futuristic quality. The overall production quality is good and this film is worth a watch for those who are interested in futuristic, sci-fi or Ethan Hawke. However it does little to stand out from many other sci-fi movies that exist.

Although the idea of genetic engineering becoming the normal in our society is plausible the plot is unfortunately a little thin in places. The possibility of identity theft or swap being taken to such extremes does evoke some thoughts.

The opening sequences promise to deliver a visually stunning watch but the following film is of a more mediocre standard. There are a few beautiful camera shots where yellow filters have been used making for a commendable landscape vista.

I drew a striking question mark over the use of “classic” (or perhaps typical American) cars as the vehicles (futuristic sound effects were added), this was a real hiccup for the over all atmosphere I felt.

In general this is a decent film. One to watch and potentially watch again, (although make sure you leave time to forget in between!) However the film could have been visually stronger and/or the storyline could have been fleshed out.