When it comes to critic reviews I usually tend to pay no notice whatsoever and watch a film for what it is. A film. Any comparison to real life events (unless it’s a biopic) should be thrown out of the window along with logic and reason.
Reading various reviews for Replicas starring Keanu Reeves people were debating the film’s science logic, technological advancements and all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff. This debate makes about as much sense as researching why and how Superman can fly. It’s a film guys, calm down.
With that said I pressed play and I entered into a world of Sci-Fi and human consciousness.
Keanu Reeves plays the role of William Foster, a scientist working for a company developing a process for transplanting a human consciousness into robots. After numerous failed attempts William finds an eventual breakthrough after a tragedy.
Upon losing his wife and children in a car accident Wiliam preserves his families neutral maps with the help of his friend Ed (Thomas Middleditch), clones their bodies and re-transfers their consciousness back into their new bodies so they would keep all of their original memories intact making his new family, you guessed it, Replicas.
So let me start out by saying that no, this movie isn’t great. That’s not because it’s constantly trying to throw scientific terminology at my uneducated face every five seconds, it’s because some rookie mistakes have been made and if rectified this could have been one hell of a flick.
First and foremost the script is horribly written, with plot holes aplenty the dialogue is almost robotic in nature and there’s not much that any of the cast can work with without sounding a little strange at times.
The editing in parts also doesn’t help towards conveying strong performances from those involved. The directing and editing actually make Keanu’s acting look really bad in places. Some sequences are drawn out causing the acting in any given sequence to appear forced and unrealistic.
Some snappy editing could have really changed some of the more emotional scenes and given them much more impact but sadly most of the heart-wrenching scenes fell flat.
It’s clear to see from the beginning that William’s work takes precedence over his own family. In the beginning, family life seems forced as this awkward dynamic clearly shows that William chooses work over his loved ones.
It almost feels like there have been many an argument over the ethics and morals of William’s work as his wife Mona (Alice Eve) works at a clinic treating patients whilst William works at a lab transporting dead people’s consciousness into robots.
There’s clearly a rift between them that the film doesn’t highlight in any particular detail which is a shame as it could have expanded the plot somewhat.
Replicas is a slow burn but certainly not a boring one. The premise of the film is actually captivating and after being introduced to some horrific CGI in places I certainly wasn’t bored at any given moment.
As the film revs up to its third act the film takes a few twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting. The third act is actually the strongest part of the movie and it ends on a high note for me.
The movie’s pace and excitement seem to really get going as the film draws to a close and it’s a shame this wasn’t incorporated slightly earlier into the movie.
In many reviews, I’ve seen people have been complaining about the look of the robot in the laboratory citing bad CGI and its TV-Show robot appearance. Without looking too much into this I felt as thou the robot’s appearance could be forgiven.
The transfer of human consciousness into a robot is still in its development stage (if albeit a long development stage) and so the need for a high-tech robot wouldn’t be necessary until a successful human consciousness transfer could be completed. It’s still a prototype so naturally, it wouldn’t look like the most sophisticated piece of tech in the world. Had consciousness been successfully transferred previously then upgraded robots would have been ready and waiting for their host.
As the film draws out we come to terms with just how dedicated to his work William is without any confliction or moral dilemma within him. It’s hard to root for him in places but at the same time he’s doing this out of the good intention of family preservation but it never really feels like that. It always feels as thou he’s doing it for his own benefit and to prove his work theories correct rather than for any loving or grieving motivation rhyme or reason.
Whilst many people hated on Replicas I found it to be an enjoyable sci-fi flick that has its flaws but also is well worth a watch. Its premise is captivating and with better execution, this could have been an incredible film.
With a budget of $30 Million, I did expect better from Replicas but it’s certainly not as bad as some people were making it out to be!
Summary
Captivating but flawed, Replicas has an incredible premise that hooks me in and keeps me entertained but with better execution, this could have been something truly special.
