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Gattica Reviewed by Samantha Wynter from Mexico Staff Photo This movie shows possible effects of genetic engineering on society, work, and even love.   Director: Andrew Niccol Type: Science Fiction Cast: Ethan Hawke (Vincent Freeman),         Jerome Morrow (Jude Law)         Anton Hawke (Loreen Dean)         Irene Cassini (Uma Thurman)         Mission Supervisor Joseph (Gore Vidal)         Detective Hugo (Alan Arkin)         Broker (Tony Shalhou) Country/Date: US/1997 "We used to think our future was in the stars. Now we know it is in our genes." Gattaca is a science fiction thriller that shows the use of genetic engineering in the future to create an almost perfect human. The director of this movies, Andrew Niccol, creates a complete world of the future based on genetic testing and research nowadays. Vincent (Ethan Hawke) is a human who was not conceived by this technology. Instead, he was naturally conceived through love. As a result, he was not genetically perfect. He had a high probability of suffering a heart attack. He had a short life span, emotional problems, and other defects. When he was born, the nurse took a sample of his blood, and—voila!—the doctors were able to write a whole book about his life. Three years later his parents had another boy, but this child was "predesigned." Doctors took the best of both his parents and made a virtually perfect human. He was taller, stronger, and smarter than Vincent. Vincent has a dream; he wants to be a member of a huge corporation like NASA and travel to space as an astronaut. He struggles against his physical and mental obstacles, and during his attempts falls in love with Irene Cassini (Uma Thurman). Gattaca is one of the best movies that I have ever seen. Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman give great performances that make this movie realistic and emotional. The movie shows you the effects of genetic engineering on society, work, and even love. It makes you think—which subjects are valid and which ones are invalid now that destiny is in the hands of the scientists. I encourage people to see this movie because it shows you can reach your dreams. If you really want to do something, you can. You just have to be brave and courageous and believe in yourself. This movie is shocking to society because it creates a believable world of the future based on genetic engineering, a world that is becoming a reality today. Return to: Movies and Books | Home Page TOPICS Online Magazine ©1997-2009 - Sandy and Thomas Peters - topics.mag@gmail.com