In Gattaca, babies are conceived in two ways: the result of passionate love or in a test-tube. Vincent is born the former way; seconds after his birth, his genes are "sequenced" and his fate calculated; his far from perfect genes, which predispose him to heart disease, won't allow him to live past his 33 years old birthday, or so the statistics say.

Learning from the mistake, Vincent's parents have their second child genetically-engineered. Vincent's brother would have, along with many genetic refinements, a head start in a world in which discrimination is based on the quality of one's genes. As Vincent wryly notes, they have got discrimination down to a science.

With that as the premise, Gattaca plays out as an engaging sci-fi thriller/murder mystery. At its core, it's a film about the will to succeed; despite the odds stacked against Vincent, he aims for the stars, not exactly reaching them but close. Having perfect genes would just have been far too easy.