---
title: "Gattaca"
year: 1997
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/gattaca"
fi1m_id: "gattaca"
imdb_id: "tt0119177"
tmdb_id: 782
wikidata_id: "Q491800"
fi1m_score: 80
critics_score: 67
critics_reviews: 8
published: "2026-09-13"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:13.316217+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Gattaca (1997)

Directed by Andrew Niccol · 1h 47m · MPA PG-13 · Science Fiction, Drama

## Identity

Gattaca

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/gattaca
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** gattaca
- **IMDb ID:** tt0119177
- **TMDB ID:** 782
- **Wikidata ID:** Q491800
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/782, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q491800

**Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 67 from 8 reviews

*In a sentence:* All that genetic engineering and people are still dreadful snobs

> Andrew Niccol’s *Gattaca* makes genetic discrimination frighteningly plausible, with precise production design and a bruised performance from Jude Law. Its solemnity sometimes gets in the way, but we recommend this thoughtful science-fiction drama.

## Synopsis

In a future society divided by genetic privilege, Vincent Freeman (Ethan Hawke) refuses to accept the limits the system places on him. His challenge to the hierarchy centres on a relationship with Jerome Eugene Morrow (Jude Law), a man whose bitterness complicates the promise of genetic superiority. Uma Thurman plays Irene Cassini and Alan Arkin plays Detective Hugo in Andrew Niccol’s science-fiction drama. As Vincent pushes against a society that treats inherited traits as a measure of human possibility, his determination brings him into conflict with rules presented as scientific certainty.

## Review

*Gattaca* is a persuasive science-fiction drama whose stern manner occasionally makes it harder work than it needs to be. Writer-director Andrew Niccol imagines a future in which genetic advantage has become a licence to discriminate, and asks what happens to the person who refuses to accept the result. The premise works because the prejudice is recognisable, even when the means of enforcing it belong to science fiction. We need no great leap of imagination to believe that people would welcome a respectable new reason to keep others out.

Jan Roelfs’s mid-century modern production design gives that society a convincing physical form. Its retro-futuristic shapes suggest institutions established long enough ago to have stopped explaining themselves. Sławomir Idziak gives the images an early-morning look that makes their clean surfaces feel inhospitable, and the effect is more troubling than a conventionally ruined future. These are places we can believe people would be proud to work in.

Ethan Hawke plays Vincent Freeman with a restraint that can look uncomfortably close to blankness. We wanted a little more variation from him, especially when Niccol’s earnest writing has already made the stakes clear. Yet the performance also gives Vincent’s resistance a credible persistence: he does not seem to expect anyone to make this easy. The film’s suspense depends on that doggedness holding our attention without much outward display. Hawke usually manages it, though there are passages when the handsome surroundings appear to be doing more of the work.

Jude Law, as Jerome Eugene Morrow, supplies the irritation and hurt that the film needs. His bitterness makes the promise of genetic superiority look less persuasive, without requiring another speech about why the system is wrong. We were moved by his exchanges with Vincent; Law makes Jerome’s resentment sound like an admission of pain. He allows Jerome to be difficult company, which gives their relationship more life than the film’s declarations about human potential.

Editor Lisa Zeno Churgin gives the tension time to develop, and the measured pace suits the controlled performances. We can register small changes of mood without being hurried on to the next piece of plot. Michael Nyman’s score is more openly emotional than the acting, and its directness is welcome when the characters threaten to become demonstrations of an idea. Occasionally the music and Niccol’s writing press too insistently for feeling. The film is least convincing when it seems anxious to explain how much its struggle should mean.

Niccol is interested in an individual’s refusal to stay in the place assigned to him, rather than in the practical business of changing an unjust society. That keeps the drama focused, but it narrows what the film can say about discrimination. The hierarchy can start to seem objectionable chiefly because it has failed to recognise this particular man’s worth. We can care about Vincent and still wish the film spent more thought on people who have neither his determination nor a leading role.

At 107 minutes, this is worth making time for when a thoughtful, rather solemn science-fiction drama is the right prospect. The pleasure comes from watching a controlled performance meet another that keeps threatening to lose its temper, in surroundings where neither man seems quite at ease. Leave a little time afterwards to discuss who else deserves a chance in Niccol’s future.

*Fi1m score 80, published 13 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond favourably to Gattaca’s intelligent premise, treating its genetically stratified society as a thoughtful way to examine discrimination and inherited privilege. The strongest agreement concerns the production design: the reviews repeatedly praise a carefully imagined future whose restrained, retro-futuristic appearance supports its ideas. Enthusiasm for the human story is less consistent, though the relationship between Vincent and Jerome draws praise, as does the suspense surrounding Vincent’s deception.

The reviews range widely on whether that controlled style sustains an involving drama. Variety finds Ethan Hawke sympathetic and the story emotionally engaging despite plot contrivances; The AV Club finds his performance wooden and the mixture of detachment and sentimentality inert. Pace also divides critics: Eye for Film praises taut suspense, while Empire finds the plotting slow. The Los Angeles Times offers the strongest rejection, arguing that solemnity and conventional melodrama weaken the treatment of its ethical question.

## Straight answers

**Is Gattaca worth watching?**

*Gattaca* is worth watching for anyone who wants a thoughtful, rather solemn science-fiction drama, and we scored it 80. Andrew Niccol makes genetic discrimination frighteningly plausible, and Jude Law's bitter, wounded Jerome gives the film its life. Its earnest writing sometimes presses too hard for feeling, so it is not one for a light evening.

**How long is Gattaca, and what is it rated?**

*Gattaca* runs 1h 47m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is a science fiction and drama film.

**Where can I watch Gattaca in the US?**

*Gattaca* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Gattaca, and is it suitable for children?**

*Gattaca* carries a UK 15 certificate, and its unease comes from ideas rather than violence or scares. The film is a slow, controlled drama about a society that sorts people by their genes, with adult themes of prejudice, bitterness and deception. It is not frightening in any conventional sense, but younger children will find it both grown-up and slow.

**How does Gattaca compare to The Truman Show?**

*Gattaca* and [*The Truman Show*](https://film.one/film/the-truman-show) are both Andrew Niccol-written stories of a carefully ordered life disrupted by a man unwilling to accept its limits, but they differ sharply in tone. *Gattaca* is stern and measured, a drama about prejudice; Peter Weir's film is funnier and more openly emotional, carried by Jim Carrey. We recommend both, with *The Truman Show* the easier company and *Gattaca* the more sober.

**What should I watch after Gattaca?**

After *Gattaca*, try [*The Truman Show*](https://film.one/film/the-truman-show) (1998, Fi1m 88): Another carefully ordered life disrupted by someone unwilling to accept its limits. Then [*Never Let Me Go*](https://film.one/film/never-let-me-go) (2010, Fi1m 73): A quieter account of lives restricted by biology, with fewer consolations; and [*High and Low*](https://film.one/film/high-and-low) (1963, Fi1m 90): A tense crime drama that makes architecture and class impossible to separate.

### Reviews we read (10)

- **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (90/100, inferred): This is one of the smartest and most provocative science fiction films, a thriller with ideas whose hero challenges a genetically stratified system. It singles out the visually exciting production design and the central relationship between Vincent and the real Jerome for praise. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/gattaca-1997)
- **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (80/100, inferred): A handsome and fully imagined work of cautionary futuristic fiction that treats genetic privilege as the next form of bigotry. It singles out the obsessive attention to detail in world-building and production design. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/24/movies/film-review-the-next-bigotry-privilege-by-genetic-perfection.html)
- **Variety** (75/100, inferred): An intelligent and timely sci-fi thriller that is emotionally engaging for most of its length despite some illogical plot contrivances. It singles out Ethan Hawke’s sympathetic lead performance and the superlative production, design, and editing for praise. [Read](https://variety.com/1997/film/reviews/gattaca-1200451169/)
- **The AV Club**, Nathan Rabin (C): The review finds the production design timeless and the genetic engineering theme still relevant but faults the film for a charisma vacuum at its center, wooden lead performance from Hawke, and an inert mix of Kubrickian detachment and sentimentality. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/gattaca-1798203982)
- **Empire**, Neil Jeffries (55/100, inferred): The film offers a great premise and intriguing retro-futuristic visuals but the plot unfolds too slowly with little action, making it easier to look at than to watch. Hawke is blandly perfect while Law delivers the most exciting performance as the bitter cripple. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/gattaca-review/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Jack Mathews (30/100, inferred): A deadening cautionary tale whose earnest script feels like naked exploitation of a timely ethical question. It singles out the solemn, overly serious tone and conventional melodrama for complaint. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-24-ca-46001-story.html)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Duane Byrge: The critic praises the stylish visuals and intelligent premise of genetic discrimination in a futuristic society but criticizes the icy, unemotional characters that reduce the film to a visual essay rather than a full-blooded human story. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/gattaca-review-movie-1997-1248546/)
- **Time Out**, TCh: The film evokes the classically alienated dystopias of Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451. It is chilly, elegant, and a little bloodless. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/gattaca)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Niccol's icy, Kafkaesque vision of a genetically stratified future ruled by purity codes and the film's taut, heartbeat-like suspense that makes every moment count. It highlights the controlled performances and stainless, early-morning-lit design that heightens the intrigue. [Read](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/gattaca-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (75/100, inferred): The critic revisits the film as a story of genetic discrimination and the human spirit's triumph, comparing it to Brave New World and praising its subtle systemic critique and stylish mid-century modern design. They note its focus on individual perseverance over collective change as a limitation rooted in 1990s ethos. [Read](https://collider.com/gattaca-meaning-explained-4k-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** Andrew Niccol
- **Director:** Andrew Niccol
- **Writer:** Andrew Niccol
- **Cinematography:** Sławomir Idziak
- **Editor:** Lisa Zeno Churgin
- **Music:** Michael Nyman
- **Production design:** Jan Roelfs
- **Costume design:** Colleen Atwood
- **Producer:** Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher
- **Cast:** Ethan Hawke as Vincent Freeman; Uma Thurman as Irene Cassini; Jude Law as Jerome Eugene Morrow; Alan Arkin as Detective Hugo; Loren Dean as Adult Anton Freeman; Gore Vidal as Director Josef; Tony Shalhoub as "German"; Ernest Borgnine as Caesar
- **Runtime:** 1h 47m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 24 October 1997
- **Genres:** Science Fiction, Drama
- **Budget:** $36 million
- **Box office:** $13 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIIZ2P-fiyI

## Where to watch in the US

- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, uhd

*Checked 2026-09-13.*

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IN, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1998: Best Production Design (nominated)
- Sitges Film Festival Best Feature-Length Film award 1997: Sitges Film Festival Best Feature-Length Film award (won)

## If you liked this

- *The Truman Show* (1998), Fi1m 88: Another carefully ordered life disrupted by someone unwilling to accept its limits. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-truman-show.md)
- *Never Let Me Go* (2010), Fi1m 73: A quieter account of lives restricted by biology, with fewer consolations. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/never-let-me-go.md)
- *THX 1138* (1971): For more institutional chill, stripped of most of Niccol’s reassuring sentiment.
- *High and Low* (1963), Fi1m 90: A tense crime drama that makes architecture and class impossible to separate. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/high-and-low.md)
- *The Lives of Others* (2006), Fi1m 84: Another watchful thriller about private feeling surviving an institution’s demand for obedience. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lives-of-others.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/gattaca