3. Gattaca
Andrew Niccol may not have been up to much in recent years, but in the late 1990s, he was
the guy to go to for intelligent, thought-provoking sci-fi. Gattaca takes place in a world where most babies are produced by in-vitro fertilisation, allowing genetic disorders to be weeded out, while those babies conceived by regular means are referred to as "invalids", and one such invalid is Vincent (Ethan Hawke), who is denied his dream to become an astronaut because of genetic discrimination against him for a heart defect. Niccol's film is deeply satirical, predicting a future in which our biological data will trump all other personal attributes such as manner, job experience and so on; the film broaches the idea of genetic determinism, that in this world, genes are what determines your wealth and success. Though we're far away from that becoming a reality, we have already seen the seeds sewn; healthcare patients with a genetic predisposition to certain illnesses can be rejected care or be charged enormous premiums, putting them at a severe disadvantage to others. Eerily prescient, the message seems to be that though genetic exploration can save lives and prevent illness, we must be sure not to use it as the be all and end all judgement of a human being.