Don't Like - Total Suspension Of Disbelief

A brief review of Gattaca

Gattaca is supposed to be one of those movies that sticks with you. There’s a reason it was so beloved by high-school science teachers in the years after it came out. Someone might say, “It’s sci-fi but not dumb!” as if that was something that had to be stated. It has this reputation because it deals with big weighty ideas and ideals about biological determinism, chance, fate, social caste systems, individual determination, the pursuit of impossible goals, personal identity, the passionate rivalry of brothers, what to do if your life changes irrevocably, the police state, and murder! Gattaca does not shy away from the big topics. It runs headfirst at them with genuine flair in terms of its set design, color grading, striking frames, and the artistic use of special effects. It’s a joy to watch. It’s easy to be swept up in its charms. The film has clear stylistic influences from earlier sci-fi and noir films like Alphaville and Vertigo. It’s doing the whole 1950s take on 50s dystopian culture refracted through a late 90s Gen X perspective. There is a deep mood to Gattaca that is often impenetrably cold and sterile but occasionally feels overwhelmingly fiery and sincere. It sees itself as a big movie and it takes big swings. The most famous line in the movie is considered by many to be as iconic as anything that has ever been said on the silverscreen.¹ For these reasons, Gattaca gets points. It goes for it in the purest way that a movie like it can. So, you’d be a real grump if you couldn’t see anything in it.

With all that said, Gattaca has an insane plot hole right at the center of it. Namely, Ethan Hawke and Jude Law don’t look alike. This is a problem because the plot hinges on Ethan Hawke’s ability to pass as Jude Law, which he can with some very thoughtful tricks like fake finger tips with blood pockets to beat advanced identity scanners. But there are repeated moments throughout Gattaca where Ethan Hawke’s face is largely and publicly broadcast but no one seems to notice. Eventually this has characters saying lines like, “No one looks at pictures anymore!” or “Don’t you get it, they see me when they look at you.” This gaping plot hole gets worse and worse as the murder at the heart of the story is explored. The detectives have sharp instincts but can’t solve a very basic problem At a certain point, you have to ask yourself what’s going on with this otherwise smart movie. It feels as if the writer and director dug themselves into a ditch and said, “The only way out is through!” Eventually Gattaca does get out but not before compromising the basic foundation of the movie. If you can see past it, you might find a really fun, pretty smart movie. But if you can’t see it at all, you might want to get your prescription checked.

1. If you’re curious to see how people feel about this movie, go look it up on Reddit. You will find endless threads waxing poetic