In "the not-too-distant future", eugenics has segregated society. Valids are people born from genetic manipulation. Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) was born as what's derisively known as invalid with only a life expectancy of 30 and a second class life. His younger brother Anton is born with genetics help and exceeds him in every way. The last time he races Anton, he rescues Anton from the sea. After that, he runs away and eventually works as a janitor at Gattaca Aerospace Corporation. German (Tony Shalhoub) is a criminal dealer in genetic identities and Jerome Morrow (Jude Law) is a paralyzed valid. With Jerome's genetic samples and surgeries, Vincent starts impersonating Jerome in order to move ahead and finally travel into space. When the mission director gets killed, Vincent becomes a top suspect while he's scheduled to launch. Co-worker Irene Cassini (Uma Thurman) becomes interested in him.
The premise is terrific like a great Twilight Zone story. It's a bit slow in the first half. It needs to be tightened. The style is a throwback without much CGI or unnecessary flash. I do have a couple of questions. Do genetic enhancements make people dress the same? Also wouldn't they get the ID immediately after finding his hair? It seems like a society that keeps track of those kinds of information. The acting is solid although it's a lot of stone faced work anyways. Overall, this is a solid effort.
The premise is terrific like a great Twilight Zone story. It's a bit slow in the first half. It needs to be tightened. The style is a throwback without much CGI or unnecessary flash. I do have a couple of questions. Do genetic enhancements make people dress the same? Also wouldn't they get the ID immediately after finding his hair? It seems like a society that keeps track of those kinds of information. The acting is solid although it's a lot of stone faced work anyways. Overall, this is a solid effort.