Keanu Reeves is Mr Sci-fi without doubt, even before the Matrix he gave us intriguing premises movies like Johnny Mnemonic. And he is back with another offering. This time around it s Replicas and he brings to light the moral dilemma of cloning.
Reeves plays William Foster who is a scientist trying to clone minds and transplant them. He is on the verge of a break through when he becomes the sole survivor of a family accident. Like any husband or father he is broken, but unlike any other father he has the power to bring them back…
It is not much of spoiler to say he manages to bring them back, but that isn’t the focus of the film. No while the trials and tribulations of bringing them back are entertaining, the real drama starts when he brings them back. Since he has the ability to cut off the memories at any given point he makes it such as the accident never happened. There is another key element but in order to keep this as spoiler free as possible I will skip over it. At first all is well, and they continue their happy life, but soon it begins to unravel as his family asks questions and the corporate funding him is knocking at the door.
The movie is equal parts science fiction and philosophy with a healthy dose of action. Tech and Science jargon aside the script did feel a bit weak, but not unbearable. And while it was sci-fi it was saturated with screen hungry special effects. No it was more subdued and grounded. This made it more real fro be. But the real kicker is the questions you ask yourself once the movie is over that is it crème bleu, and this is what sets it apart from anything recent in the genre. To me this was refreshing. Lets be honest, we aren’t shy of big blockbusters these days, and while they’re all fun and trending they never offer much dept. Well most anyways.
All in all, Replica’s is a good movie worth checking out, and I hope you do as I want a sequel which delves deeper into the questions it first raised.
