Replicas

Hollywood has had a fascination with the 'mad scientist' format in films as has audiences out there as well. It probably all started with "Frankenstein" 1931 with Boris Karloff and has been a recurring storyline since. "Replicas", whether it was intentional or not, plays into that premise--at least to a certain percentage.

 

William Foster (Keanu Reeves) is a brilliant neuroscientist who loses his wife Mona (Alice Eve), son Matt (Emjay Anthony) and two daughters Sophie (Emily Alynlind) and Zoe (Aria Lyric Leabu) in a tragic car accident. Utilizing cutting-edge technology, William comes up with a daring and unprecedented plan to download their memories and clone their bodies. As the experiment begins to spiral out of control, Foster soon finds himself at odds with his dubious boss Jones (John Ortiz), a reluctant accomplice Ed (Thomas Middleditch), who is a colleague and friend, a police task force and the physical laws of science. Can William actually succeed at this incredible feat, or will the walls increasingly fall around him?

 

Others to round out the cast are Amber Townsend as Lab Tech, Amber Rivera as Margaret, Nyasha Hatendi as Scott and Jeffrey Holsman as Blue Eyes.

 

This was directed with intensity and grit by Jeffrey Nachmanoff ("Hollywood Palms" '01, "Traitor" '08, "Masterwork" (TV movie) '09, "Meet Jane" (TV movie) '11) plus TV. This filmmaker doesn't have a plethora of experience, but with what he has under his belt, he was able to excel with keeping this thriller riveting with high-adrenaline and incredibly talented pacing and timing. He will go even farther in this field. It was executed well by writer Chad St. John ("London Has Fallen" '16, "Peppermint" '18) plus a short, based on a story by Stephen Hamel. Again, this writer doesn't have a ton of experience, but what he has produced has been nail-biters. Was this script without issues? Absolutely not, but where the storyline had problems with a bit of cohesiveness and where it left the audience with too many questions that weren't addressed, it made up with the element of intensity, adrenaline, grit and moral and ethical issues. Does this film script have any chance of an Academy Award? No, however it does give its audience that one two punch that will keep us all riveted to our respective theater seats.

 

This is the quintessential popcorn film replete with grit, fear, lying and survival. It definitely addresses the whole thing about delving into an area that we probably shouldn't be exploring: cloning and the ramifications of it. Even though the intentions are admirable, one must still question whether or not the outcome will be beneficial for all involved to be worth it.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                       Rated: PG-13                                     107mins.