Gattaca: Blu-ray DVD Review (2008)

Imagine a world where perfection is genetically possible. Okay, that's easy to imagine. But now imagine this: Life begins not in the womb, but in the test tube, where genetic elements are clinically tampered with to weed out any number of deformities.

In the cold, futurific world explored in “Gattaca,” those deformities might include, say, skin color, sexuality, obesity, what have you, with the end result being a child whose possibilities are so endless, corporate doors eventually will swing wide to accept this “valid” individual into their ranks.

But what if you were created from a more natural form of coupling and still wanted the perks of the genetically perfect? Such is the case with Vincent (Ethan Hawke), an “in-valid” who dreams of becoming a crew member on an expedition to Titan, Saturn's fourteenth moon.

To do so, he first must land a job at Gattaca, a space station that routinely checks the “validity” of their employees by taking blood and urine samples. Does Vincent make it inside? Of course--just in time to meet the woman of his dreams (Uma Thurman) and to be rooted out for a murder he didn't commit.

This compelling variation of “Brave New World” is stylish and provocative, a drama that looks deep into the soulless perfection of the petri dish, where it sounds a warning bell by showing us exactly where our own world might be headed.

Rated PG-13. Grade: B+