Informal Review of "Gattaca" (Commercial and Industrial Contex)

                The indie film Gattaca takes place in a future where society is obsessed with obtaining genetic perfection. Most children are conceived via consulting with geneticists in order to customize gender, hair color, and eye color, and to ensure that they will be as healthy as possible. The better an individual’s genes, the more likely they are to succeed in the world. The main character of Gattaca, Vincent Freeman, was conceived through natural means and was predicted to have both a high possibility of developing a heart condition and a life expectancy of thirty-two years. Although Vincent never actually displayed any signs of illness, he was discriminated against and labelled an in-valid, meaning that he will never be allowed to follow his dream of traveling into space. Unwilling to give up his dream, Vincent makes a contract to take on the identity of Jerome Morrow, a former Olympic swimmer who can no longer use his legs. Vincent begins work at Gattaca Aerospace Corporation and is scheduled to travel into space, but things go awry when a murder takes place in the office and Vincent’s DNA is found at the scene of the crime.

For an independent film, Gattaca still manages to tell a complex story with decent graphics despite its potentially low production budget.

                All that I knew about Gattaca before watching it was that it was an independent film that was about genetic perfection. As I went into things completely blind, I had no expectations to shape my reaction to the film. I also know nothing about Gattaca’s distribution or exhibition, but I could definitely tell a difference in production value. Although the overall story was incredibly unique and compelling, there were times when the certain scenes or specific lines of dialogue were awkward or made no sense. There were also times when the visuals, especially some of the special effects, seemed cheaper as well. There were not very many different sets and, although this may have been an aesthetic choice, many of the scenes were very, very dark.

                Although it is hard to pinpoint the exact reasons, Gattaca had the feel of a made-for-TV movie. However, to me what matters most about a film is its story and, in my opinion, Gattaca’s story was top notch. I would definitely watch this film again and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys films that incorporate a slightly dystopian society.