Gattaca (DVD, 2001, The Superbit Collection)

Gattaca is an awesome movie with deeper meaning everywhere you look, including the title -- only the letters a, t, c, and g are used, corresponding with Adenine, Thymine, Cytocine, and Guanine, the chemical components of DNA.

Set in the near future with a very 50's retro presence, the cinematography is subtle yet moving with its sterile, sleek atmosphere, familiar yet futuristic objects and especially the use of color -- take notice of overly blue, green, and sepia tones during certain critical scenes.

Vincent (Ethan Hawke), an "in-valid," a man conceived naturally in a world where parents genetically engineer their offspring, dreams of going into space but is barred by constant "genoism," discrimination based on one's genetic makeup. To achieve his dreams, he pairs up with Jerome (Jude Law), a perfectly engineered "valid" who is a quadrapelegic. Assuming Jerome's identity and using his hair and bodily fluids to slip past genetic screening, Vincent is hired and quickly moves up the ranks of Gattaca Space Corporation. Vincent and Jerome develop a mutually fulfilling symbiotic relationship. Vincent thinks his dreams of going into space are fulfilled when he is offered the prestigious assignment of going on a manned mission to Titan, Saturn's largest moon. However, a week before launch, the mission director is murdered and Vincent's DNA turns up during a routine gathering of evidence. With a detective steadily getting closer to discovering Vincent's true identity, the blossoming of a love affair with an associate (Uma Thurman), and the looming parting of Vincent, Jerome's only friend, Vincent watches helplessly as his dream of going into space unravels by the hour.

Beautiful with a powerful message, some may find this movie a bit slow at times. There are many slow sequences. This isn't an action movie, though, nor a movie watched purely for entertainment. It's a movie that encourages contemplation of various social and psychological issues.

If you are thinking of buying this movie (and you should), buy the superbit version because it is the original widescreen version. The standard version is in full-screen, except the first edition which is now out of print. The first edition was a double-sided DVD with the widescreen version on one side and the full screen version on the flipside. That version is getting very hard to find brand-new. Spend the extra money and pick up the Superbit version of Gattaca -- the picture quality is awesome. You'll be glad you did because the cinematography is just as significant as this movie's underlying message. For that, you'll have to watch and look for it yourself. You may want to watch it more than just once -- you'll pick up on many more things the second time around.

-phuture(jdm)