Gattaca (1997)
A Movie Review by Michael J. Legeros
Copyright 1997 by Michael J. Legeros
(Columbia)
Directed by Andrew Niccol
Written by Andrew Niccol
Cast Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin, Jude Law, Loren
Dean, Gore Vidal, Ernest Borgnine
MPAA Rating "PG-13"
Running Time 112 minutes
Reviewed at The Carmike 7, Raleigh, NC (26OCT97)
==
GATTACA is a good-enough genetic-engineering thriller, set in the not-too-distant future, where a daring young janitor (Ethan Hawke) is determined to become an astronaut, despite his having a set of genes that precludes any participation in the space program. (In this far- from-far-fetched future world, a job interview involves little more than a blood test.) With an assist from his friendly neighborhood black- marketeer (Tony Shalhoub), he adopts the identity of another young man (Jude Law), a crippled-but-otherwise-okay lookalike whose record doesn't reflect a broken back, and who can provide the requisite samples of blood, skin, hair, and urine. And everything works wonders until a murder happens at Mission Control and the resulting cell-by-cell sweep of the scene yields a certain person's eyelash. Ouch. As a cautionary tale of science-we'll-soon-see, GATTACA is endlessly intriguing. As a sci-fi potboiler, however, it just ain't suspenseful enough. The char- acters are stronger than you might expect, but writer/director Andrew Niccol doesn't put 'em through nearly enough paces. (The climax is... a swim chase!?) And then there are those nagging story details, like bus- iness suits worn aboard rocket ships. Or that urine sample at the be- ginning. (How *does* Hawke's character fake it, with the doctor right there staring at his schlong? You got me...) With Uma Thurman, Alan Arkin, Loren Dean, Ernest Borgnine and, looking completely out of place, Gore Vidal. Splendidly stark production design, too, by Jan Roelfs.
Grade: C+
-- Mike Legeros - Movie Hell http://www.nonvirtual.com/hell
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