Keanu Reeves plays William Foster, a scientist in charge of an experiment that is attempting to place the consciousnesses of the recently-deceased into synthetic bodies. It’s not going well, so Foster takes a weekend away with his wife and three children; they’ve barely left home when tragedy strikes, and all but Foster himself are killed in a car accident. A grieving Foster then comes up with the idea to clone his family and import their memories into these copies, thinking nobody will ever know, provided he can solve the puzzle that has eluded him in his experiments thus far.
Anyone who’s ever seen a film with such a premise will know that it can only go horribly wrong. Scientists have tried to play God since Frankenstein, and are rarely completely successful. The story that plays out is watchable enough, if a bit of a mess – Replicas could concentrate on charting a man’s descent into obsession and madness, or either be a serious discourse on the nature of science going too far or a bleak comedy. Instead of being one of those, it attempts to be all three and more besides, meaning there are tonal shifts and plot developments that will leave viewers scratching their heads, wondering where and how something has happened. We can’t help thinking that this is a story that would have worked well as a TV series, allowing characters and relationships to develop so that we genuinely care; Foster is a likeable character and his motives are understandable, but it all feels a little rushed and there is too much within the plot that is told through dialogue rather than shown.
This is evident in the deleted scenes which, while only being a few minutes long, do create atmosphere and twists that a 70s conspiracy thriller would be proud of. Barring timing issues, it’s hard to see why these scenes were cut, as they add depth to the events that are happening to and around Foster. As well as a Director’s Commentary, there’s an informative Making Of documentary in which we’re offered a glimpse of what the film could have been, a concept that has been close to Keanu Reeves’ heart for a number of years.
Overall, Replicas isn’t a bad film. It’s a frustrating one, in that it tries to please everyone and feels watered down for a mainstream audience, ultimately leaving the viewer with the sense that it is a missed opportunity at being a worthy addition to the genre.
REPLICAS / CERT: 12 / DIRECTOR: JEFFREY NACHMANOFF / SCREENPLAY: CHAD ST. JOHN / STARRING: KEANU REEVES, ALICE EVE, THOMAS MIDDLEDITCH / RELEASE DATE: 29TH APRIL
