The Top 10 Best Clone Movies
It Turns Out Clone Movies Don’t All Look the Same
The future is now! At least that’s what they tell me, which is probably why I find clone movies so fascinating. I’m a serious fan of good sci-fi, so I thought it was about time to put together a list of the best clone movies I’ve seen. In my research though, I found that many people out there confuse genetic engineering with cloning. For the sake of this list, I decided to stick with movies that feature cloning as a major plot point, meaning that the clones are initially copies of a specific organism with potential genetic modifications made to a copy. In other words, movies like Avatar, Twins and Blade Runner wouldn’t necessarily qualify for this list. However, I’m making a bit of an exception and including franchises as individual entries in order not to bog it down with a ton of sequels. Not to worry though, because there are still a ton of clone movies out there and I narrowed it down to the best of the best!
*Warning: This list contains potential spoilers for the movies on it.*
10. Multiplicity
Kicking off this list of clone movies is a film that is actually pretty terrible, but I mean that in the best possible way. The film features Michael Keaton who finds himself overwhelmed by his life when a perfect solution presents itself. If it’s all too much for you to handle, why about two of you? Honestly, it doesn’t sound like the worst solution. However, with a clone to help lighten his load, Keaton soon finds himself biting off more than he can chew (with the help of a clone). So, he does the only logical thing and makes another clone… And another… Pretty soon his clones prove to be more trouble than their worth. So he sends them to a farm upstate. I’m kidding of course, but that does raise an interesting question: If you kill your clone, is that suicide or murder?
9. The 6th Day
Before he was the Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in The 6th Day. If you love one Arnold, then you’re definitely want to check out this movie, because, spoiler alert, this one has two of them. In the not too distant future, cloning has been perfected but human cloning has been deemed illegal. Of course, that’s never stopped companies from doing what they want and through an accident, Arnold finds himself and his illegal clone pursued by an evil corporation seeking to rectify their mistake. Despite being a pretty straightforward action flick, The 6th Day proves to be a worthy addition to this list of clone movies because it shows that “great minds” tend to think alike and two Arnolds are (typically) better than one.
8. The Island
Michael Bay might not be my favorite filmmaker, but he’s made a few pretty decent movies over the course of his career. One of the big ethical question when it comes to clones is if they are just copies or are they their own fully realized individuals? Do they have rights? Well, The Island tries its best to be a movie that addresses these considerations while still having lots of pretty explosions. Just like the last entry on this list of clone movies, this one stars Ewan McGregor and he’s joined by Scarlett Johanson The two learn that they’re clones of one-percenters looking to have their own perfect little organ donors. This doesn’t exactly sit well with them and they decide to escape to live their own lives. That doesn’t sit well with their creators though and soon the chase is on to capture these runaway clones.
7. Gemini Man
What’s better than one Will Smith? How about two! Director Ang Lee has always been best known for his incredible visual storytelling and he brings that to Gemini Man. It’s the story of an elite black-ops assassin, named Henry, who decides that he’s had enough killing for one lifetime and set out to retire. Of course, not too many people are happy about that, but Henry is the best of the best, so what are you going to do about it? Well, it turns out the answer to that is to send a younger clone of Henry to kill him. Imagine a younger version of you without all the aches, pains, and emotional trauma that comes with 30+ years of killing people for a living hunting you down. The only thing Henry has on his side is the years of experience and wisdom that he’s gathered. Luckily, that’s enough to keep him alive… For now.
6. Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go takes on a similar concept as The Island and makes it absolutely heartbreaking. This film follows a group of clones, played by Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan, and Andrew Garfield, who grew up together. Despite being their own individuals, their organs are routinely harvested to keep the “real” versions of themselves alive and strong. As the film progresses we get a chance to see these three become incredibly close and express their own wants and desires for their lives. Of course, fate is working against them as they become weaker and weaker after every operation they’re put through. I wish I could say that Never Let Me Go had a happy ending, but most clone movies usually aren’t sunshine and happiness.