Gattaca is a science fiction film set in he near future where parents can genetically engineer their children to be perfect human specimens. Vincent (Hawke) was however born a natural child, and so his dreams of becoming an astronaut will be impossible to attain, no matter how much he studies and trains. Gattaca corp. (the company who launches space missions) only accepts applicants who are genetically perfect.

Vincent realizes that he must cheat the system if he is to accomplish his dream. He assumes the identity of the crippled, but genetically perfect Jerome (Law) and gets a place at Gattaca. At Gattaca he catch's the eye of Irene (Thurman) a fellow worker, and they pursue a romance. However a murder investigation being undertaken at Gattaca threatens to expose Vincent's true identity, and Irene is growing increasingly suspicious.

A stunningly confident and original debut for writer/director Andrew Niccol, Gattaca is an exceedingly stylish and captivating experience but also maintains itself as a thoughtful and moving drama. It is rich with metaphor and symbolism, and while it can be viewed as a cautionary tale for our future it also parallels our past and present times.

Setting out with such lofty ideals as examining the power of individuals to rise above what they're given in life, and in fact what makes us humans so human, Gattaca achieves a noteworthy clarity and conciseness with its chief ideas. Its main concepts are sharply underlined without ever laboring a point or appearing preachy. While some of the sideline issues raised, along with some of the character motivations, do remain a little vague, it could always be argued that Niccol is simply leaving room for the viewer to reach their own conclusions on certain things.

Vincent's inspirational struggle to achieve his dreams in an unjust society that only wants to put his 'kind' down is one that it's hard not to get behind. Cheering for the underdog is common trait of human nature after all. Vincent is committed to striving for what he wants in life instead of accepting what he is told is his lot. Gattaca is a rarity in film these days in that it celebrates the human animal. "There is no gene for the human spirit" goes the catch phrase, and it's this passion that Vincent brings to his endeavors that sets him apart from his genetically superior peers.

Vincent's attitude to life is in stark contrast with the two people who become important to him, Irene and the real Jerome, both of whom are genetically engineered. Irene's inherent fatalism and belief in the limitations she is told she has make her a very shallow person. She has no drive, no ambition, and very little personality, just a stubborn acceptance of her lot in life. Vincent's brief influence sees the beginnings of some passion and light beginning to appear in her as she realizes that there is more to life than the black and white world she had previously only seen.

Jerome is at the other end of the spectrum. Someone who has been told from birth how successful he will be and what heights he can achieve. An unmatchable human specimen. When he doesn't achieve the greatness predicted, it crush's his spirit completely. His whole value system has been tuned into what he is instead of who he is. When he doesn't reach that what, he feels there is nothing left for him. Vincent's influence on Jerome seems to have both positive and negative effects. He lends Jerome his "dreams", but also seems to dispirit him even more as he realizes what a waste his own life has been. He seems content to give over his life to Vincent's dreams, as if that's the last worthy thing he can achieve. Jerome is a very depressing character, there is no light at the end of the tunnel for him.

So these main characters and ideas are expressed extremely effectively, but Gattaca is not at all flawless. The significance of Vincent's brother is not clear to me. He seemed to be used as a foil to Vincent, but he is never significantly developed and Vincent's saving him from drowning a second time is labored and loses the film some credibility. It's also a bit bothersome that a film which clearly celebrates the human spirit should center around the largely somber character of Vincent. Surely he could have been a bit livelier. Any film that offers as many ideas as this though is going to leave factors open to debate, and Gattaca should be applauded for at least having the gonads to put itself out on a limb a bit.

Production wise the film is splendid. Niccol makes the most of a limited budget by creating a sparse and sterile world. A cold world to mirror the cold emotions on display. The old fashioned style of clothing and vehicles lends a feel of another time, without being too far removed from our own. Gattaca is designated "in the not to distant future" but it rather seems to exist in an alternate reality. The music used in the film is extremely effective too, creating an ominous and melancholy tone to proceedings before the subtle change of the uplifting (literally) finale. The pacing of the film is slow and deliberate, but that fits the mood nicely. Niccol has sacrificed quick thrills for a more considered approach to the ideas he wants to express.

The acting is strong across the board, everyone presents their characters efficiently and believably. Although as mentioned previously they aren't exactly the most flamboyant of characters so it's not really a showcase for anybody. A well cast Hawke is probably the standout, proving that he can carry a film effectively, but not in a way that overshadows the actual film. Writer/director Niccol is the real star of Gattaca.

Despite receiving fairly good reviews Gattaca didn't get a whole lot of attention on its release, but it is now slowly building up a richly deserved cult following. It is not edge of the seat entertainment, but Gattaca, despite its faults, should be admired for its ambition to achieve something special and extraordinary. Much like its protagonist really.

It's clear why Uma would want to be involved in Gattaca, and she gives a very intelligent and perceptive performance, but she is held back somewhat by the limitations of her character. Irene is just plan dull. She's very distant and deliberate and doesn't get much dialogue of any note. Uma conveys the reasons behind Irene's dullness very well, and her gradual transition into a livelier specimen is nicely handled, but really only a small amount of Uma's talents are called for, and speaking as an Uma Thurman fan it's a bit frustrating to watch. It's probably just because I have such high regard for her talent that I was slightly disappointed because I have heard other people say they were extremely impressed with her performance.

It's clear that the symbolism of Irene's only genetic invalidity, a supposedly weak heart, plays a large part in her makeup. It separates her from all the other genetically superior people, and allows her to be drawn to Vincent with genuine feelings of affection, rather than with an eye on how good his DNA structure is. She in fact feels unworthy to be with him because of her own "imperfection", the irony being that it is in fact Vincent who is by far genetically inferior, a fact that Irene must eventually come to terms with. It's the classic cross-culture romance, but with a twist.

Uma's ability to embody the character she's playing is certainly on display here, you're not watching Uma Thurman, you're watching Irene Cassini. It's clear however that because director Niccol correctly envisioned Irene as being stifled by her society, that she wasn't exactly going to be the life of the party. Which is fine for the greater good of the film I guess, but it leaves his actress a bit high and dry. Thankfully there are a couple of really impressive scenes towards the end where a little bit of emoting is called for from Uma, and the payoff for the way the character builds up is definitely worthwhile.

I have mixed feelings about Uma's involvement in Gattaca. It's great that she has such a high quality film under her belt, but it's bit of a shame that her own character was not all that challenging. However not being challenged was a regular trait at this stage of her career and it's certainly better to not be challenged in a good film than in a bad one.

Uma would later marry co-star Ethan Hawke in real life.