I rate this as one of the top ten SF movies I have ever seen along with Blade Runner, Forbidden Planet, etc., and a superb piece of cinematic craftsmanship in its own right. It has strong plot lines, intense theme, marvellous atmosphere, romantic sub-plot, and is elegantly and meticulously assembled: All the classic elements.
The film is made in the style of Science Fiction from the golden age. Set in "the not too distant future", the world is seen as one might expect someone in the 1950s or 1960s to see the 1990s: The cars have the opulent winginess of old American cars, the grace of Citroen DXs, but the (authentic) sound and charging accessories of electric cars, the men all wear suits and ties to work as did the professional workers of the 1950s American technology companies, women wear high heels, space launches occur as frequently as 12 a day and look like Saturn-Vs, and the oceans get cleaner over the decade or so of the movie's span.
The secanrio is that the world has made enormous progress in genetic selection, and there is now discrimination based on one's genetic makeup. Such discrimination is illegal, but prevalent. There are facilities like corner betting shops to which you can take a hair of fingernail of someone and have it genetically analysed in a few moments. These are frequented by women "checking out" prospective mates, more than other clientele. Our hero is an "invalid" (pronounced as one who is not valid, rather than one who is disabled), a person who was conceived without the benefit of selection, and who therefore has liabilities, such as a 99% chance of dying of a heart attack before he retires. He has a younger brother who has the best genes his parents had to offer, and none of the fatal indicators (like short-sightedness, etc.). When interviewing for a job at the Gattaca facility (JPL de future?), under false genetic pretenses, our hero arrives for his interview, provides the required samples ostensibly for drug testing, and is congratulated. He asks "What about my interview", and is told "You just had it".
The plot involves, at first, the connection of our hero to a genetically superb, but crippled, Englishman. In these pairings, one supplies all genetic input, the other the work, and together they live on the one income (very comfortably). Our hero (Ethan Hawke) proves to have a kind heart, enormous drive, and an all-encompassing desire to get into space. He joins Gattaca, and is eventually due to be navigator on a Titan expedition. A week from launch, the launch director is murdered. The next two-thirds of the film involves flashbacks, detectives, a romance with the DG's PA (Uma Thurman), some excitement and more than a few twists and surprises.
The characters develop well; much is conveyed without being too obvious. The good and bad sides of most of the players appear. There is evidence of slick movie-making technique; not effects, but that attention to detail and comprehensiveness and thought-out authenticity of props and scenes that comes these days from a fine director and crew.
Kay spotted the origin of the title which escaped me. This is a worthy puzzle, after the fashion of finding the bunny on the cover of a Playboy magazine.