The Gene Generation is a science fiction feature film based on the comic book "The DNA Hacker Chronicles". The movie is about a female assassin and her brother who are propelled into a fierce fight for their lives when they cross paths with DNA Hackers. DNA Hackers can change the DNA makeup of living tissue, killing the target. And all the while, the female assassin only wants to have a better life without violence. Overall, The Gene Generation is nothing special. It has some decent action sequences, but the underlying storyline and premise provide little in means of entertainment.

The movie opens with Jackie (Parry Shen) gambling away the last of his sister's savings. His sister is Michelle (Bai Ling). She is a skilled assassin and strives for a better place in life. Her dream is to get enough cash to take her brother away from their awful life and find something better. As Jackie loses the last of the money, he begs the proprietor, Randall (Daniel Zacapa), for a loan. Jackie gets the money and has three days to pay him back or it is his life. As the clock expires, Randall sends three goons to Michelle and Jackie's apartment. Unfortunately for them, they find Michelle first, who kills two and takes the third alive. She drags the goon and Jackie to Randall's place and puts an end to the situation... or so she thought. Her actions only pisses off Randall, as he continues go after them.

Meanwhile, Michelle and Jackie's neighbor Christian (Alec Newman) is hunted by Solemn (Michael Shamus Wiles), Abraham (Robert David Hall), and Josephine (Faye Dunaway). Christian is a DNA scientist who used to work for Josephine and helped her develop technology to manipulate DNA. However, when he found out that Josephine, Solemn, and Abraham intended to use it as a weapon, he destroyed the research and disappeared with the only remaining transcoder (a tool used to initiate DNA hacking). About this time, Michelle and Jackie get involved. Looking to make a quick buck, Jackie steals the transcoder -- which is eventually stolen by Randall.

As the story continues, Christian and Michelle form a special bond as he tells her about DNA hacking and Josephine's horrid intentions. She tries to help him recover the transcoder and prevent Josephine from using it for her own agenda. Unfortunately, Michelle runs into some roadblocks, such as Solemn and Abraham paying Jackie to recover the device and Randall seeking revenge against Michelle and Jackie. She also develops romantic feelings for Christian.

Overall, I did not really care for The Gene Generation. I did not think it had much entertainment value. The storyline was pretty bland and predictable. The notion of DNA hacking is explored, but not in great depth. The story focuses on the characters and their emotional states as they strive for better lives. This aspect could have been toned down a notch. As for the characters, they were fairly generic. Lead actress Bai Ling was a very sexy assassin, but her character's emotional state frequently came off a little too strong -- despite being a crucial element to her development. The rest of the cast did not bring very much to the table. For instance, the romance between Michelle and Christian felt lacking, as there was virtually no chemistry between Ling and Alec Newman. In the end, The Gene Generation is not a great movie.

The DVD

Video:
The video in this release is given in an anamorphic 1.78:1 ratio widescreen color format. The picture quality looks pretty good. It suffers from a slight grain, which is more noticeable during the feature's many dark scenes. Still, the picture is relatively clean.

Audio:
The audio track in this release is in English 5.1 Dolby digital surround. In general, the sound quality is very good and it provides an audible and clean track. The dialogue is usually a little flat while music and sound effects come off rich and vibrant. Additionally the 5.1 track is dynamic and makes good use of the surround sound capability. The release also has English and Spanish subtitles.

Extras:

• Audio Commentaries: are included for the feature film. The first track has Pearry Teo (director), Bai Ling (Michelle), and Parry Shen (Jackie). The second track has Pearry Teo and Keith Collea (producer).
• Deleted Scenes: is a series of unused or alternative footage from the movie. The scenes include "Focus!", "Putting Pieces Together", "Jackie's Missing", "Stealing the Transcoder Extended Cut", "Teen Michelle Flashback", "Wife's Death Flashback", "Alternate Opening", and "Alternate Endshot".
• Storyboard to Screen Comparisons: is a series of storyboards side-by-side with actual footage from the movie. There are a total of nine scenes.
• Cast and Crew Interviews: is a series of interview featurettes with cast and crew. They include Pearry Teo (director), Keith Collea (producer), Parry Shen (Jackie), Alec Newman (Christian), and Scott Glasgow (composer).
• Music Video: of the musical group Combichrist playing the song "Get Your Body Beat"
• Visual Effects and Concept Art: is a series of behind the scenes clips at different visual effects/concept art. The clips include "The Visual Effects Creators", "Creating the Concept Art", "2D Visual Effects", "3D Visual Effects - The City", "3D Visual Effects - The Tentacles", and "The Gene Generation Tattoo".
• DNA Hacker Chronicles: 1st Edition Digital Comic Book: is the first comic book from the series that the movie was based on. The comic book is viewable via DVD player and a little hard to read (on small screens).
• Trailers: are included for The Gene Generation and other Lions Gate releases.

Final Thoughts:
The Gene Generation is a science-fiction feature film about a female assassin striving for a better life. By chance, she and her deadbeat brother get caught up in the hunt by DNA Hackers -- ruthless killers who manipulate DNA to kill people. From start to finish, the storyline lacks any real substance and fails to entertain or intrigue. The acting performances are also subpar and offer little. In the end, The Gene Generation is lackluster and not worth your time. Skip it.