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Gattaca
Gattaca is a $36million murder mystery which turned out to be one of the most watchable movies of last year.
It features a bleak vision of the future in which genetic engineering has reached such a point that you can determine the sex and future of your unborn child.
These perfect people are called Valids; those born naturally without such white-gloved tampering are, wait for it, In-Valids.
One of which is Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke), a dreamer determined to go into space with a little help of the Gattaca corporation. Alas, with his own genes giving him away as a fraud in a world of perfection, he needs the help of disabled swimmer Jerome (Jude Law), a Valid whose bodily fluids and cells help him assume a new identity and realise his goal.
On top of which, he's fallen for Irene Cassini (Uma Thurman) a physically perfect specimen with genes to die for.
Equipped with Jerome's genetic debris, which guarantees him work anywhere, Vincent applies for a position at Gattaca, but, a week before he is to attain his lifelong ambition of making a space flight, our imperfect hero is betrayed by one of his own eyelashes found at a murder site. It's here that things become far less visionary and more along the lines of Inspector Morse meets Blade Runner.
Written and directed by Andrew (The Truman Show) Niccol - a New Zealand-born maker of over a decade worth of adverts under his belt - this is thought-provoking stuff with staggering set design; little wonder it was Oscar nominated.
Law - star of new movie Final Cut - does well as the arrogant invalid and Valid while the soundtrack by Ravenous composer Michael Nyman is an added bonus.
Where many big budget sci-fi thrillers fail is to sacrifice tension for the sake of big explosions. Gattaca never uses the big bang theory to fall back on and manages to utilise more simple ideas - the disabled Law trying to drag himself upstairs during a crucial moment - is employed to maximum effect.
It's scenes such as this that gives Gattaca the edge over the host of Alien and Blade Runner clones which have cropped up in the last 20 years.
Admittedly, this brave new world is no less scary than those Ridley Scott landmarks but with visuals to die for and a style which owes more to arthouse classics such as Last Year in Marienbad and Alphaville, lovers of intelligent sci-fi should find themselves coming back to Gattaca long after the effects in Jurassic Park look tired.
While the acting and direction is top drawer, Slawomir Idziak (bless you!) deserves a special mention for his cinematography. It's his lens that makes this a sight for sore eyes.
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Nutts Crackham written by James Preston
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