The release of the sci-fi satire «Miki 17» by the director of the cult «Parasite», Bong Joon Ho, has once again drawn the audience’s attention to the topic of cloning and the range of ethical and philosophical issues that this controversial concept poses to humanity. Can clones be considered individuals and full-fledged citizens? Is it ethical to use them for organ harvesting? How should their relationship with the original person be regulated? In this article, we have collected for you the most interesting science fiction movies about clones, which to some extent answer these questions.
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Human cloning in movies and science fiction novels
While directors and screenwriters control the fate of clones in their films, I will remind you that the American writer Mur Lafferty in her science fiction novel Six Wakes (2017) has already developed the so-called Codicils for human duplicates. This is a whole code of laws, similar to Isaac Asimov’s famous Three Laws of Robotics, the implementation of which would avoid most of the conflicts depicted in the films in our selection.
The very first of them establishes a rule that prohibits the creation of more than two clones of a person at the same time: one person — one clone. If, for some reason, several clones of the same person have been created, only the most recent clone is recognized as genuine, and the further existence of others is unacceptable. It is prohibited to create clones for conception or to bear offspring. It is also not allowed to make changes to the DNA or brain map of any clone.
Clones began to appear on screens in the 1990s, after the successful cloning of Dolly the sheep in 1996 by the European company PPL Therapeutics. Cloning a human using this technology would be a very long and questionable process in terms of results. After all, even with an identical set of genes, a person will not become an exact copy of the donor because of the different conditions in which he or she will grow up, not to mention the development of his or her intelligence.
Nevertheless, science fiction writers liked the idea and began to develop it enthusiastically, adding to their works the rapid printing of bodies on special 3D printers and, most importantly, the technology of recording human consciousness on a digital medium. Having such a backup allowed them to move from clones as a source of organs («The Island») to cloning for the rapid resurrection of the dead («Reproduction») and a true semblance of immortality, as in the series «Altered Carbon».
However, for some, this was not enough. For example, British science fiction writer Alastair Reynolds in his novel House of Sun (2008) depicts an entire civilization of Shatterling clones. It was founded by Abigail Gentian, who divided herself into a thousand female and male clones and sent them to different parts of the universe to master the highest technologies and learn how to manipulate space and time.
Mickey 17
Genre: science fiction black comedy, screenplay
Premiere date: 2025
In 2054, huge debts and an unwillingness to become the next victims of a sinister loan shark nicknamed Leatherface force Mickey Barnes and his friend Timo to join a risky mission to colonize the ice world of Niflheim. But unlike Timo, who has completed pilot training, Mickey has no useful profession. Therefore, he agrees to the offer to become a so-called «renewable employee».
The simultaneous existence of several clones of the same person in the world of the film is strictly prohibited after a high-profile scandal when a famous cloning expert created his own copies to have an alibi for serial killings. Therefore, a showdown between the clones quickly escalates into a fight: they have to decide which of them will live and which will die. Luckily, a bystander prevents the more aggressive Mickey 18 from shoving his older comrade into the recycling bin.
They even become friends and arrange a triple date with their girlfriend in the spirit of «Contenders». But with every minute that the 17th and 18th spend together, the very idea of cloning loses its meaning. After all, each of them is now having their own unique experience, which is why reproduction in a printer will inevitably mean death for their new personality.
This is somewhat reminiscent of the situation in the Apple TV+ «Severance» series. It’s not very obvious, but getting fired from a job that doesn’t threaten the «outer» much will be truly fatal for the «inner». The shared body will not be affected, but the experiences, emotions, memories, and dreams of the «working» version will simply disappear without a trace, dissolving into eternity.
Moon
Genre: a fantasy drama
Premiere date: 2009
The idea of recovery workers is similar to the 2009 sci-fi thriller «Mickey 17», which, despite its very modest budget, has already achieved cult status among sci-fi fans. Its protagonist, Sam Bell, a worker at a lunar helium-3 mining base, did not sign any bondage contracts that would force him to die over and over again. At least he doesn’t remember it.
On the contrary, his work on the Moon is simple and uncomplicated: he has to periodically check the mining machines, and the rest of the time he can watch old TV shows in the company of his smart robot GERTY or dream of returning to Earth. But two weeks before the end of his three-year watch, Sam has an accident, loses consciousness, and when he comes to, he sees… another Sam.
Programmed to help people, the robot confesses that both astronauts are clones. It turns out that after the accident, the AI recognized Sam as dead and activated the next clone to replace him. Despite the ban, he was able to leave the station and found his double in the damaged lunar rover. Now Sam 1 and Sam 2 have to deal with the web of lies that Lunar Industries has woven around them.
Of course, they shouldn’t expect the promised return home and meeting with their wife. Instead, they should look into the basement of the base, where dozens of identical clones with shared memories are waiting to replace the current Sam automatically after the expiration of the three-year contract.
In some ways, the idea of creating a backup clone for each member of a dangerous space mission seems quite rational. But the film demonstrates how, when memories are manipulated, a greedy corporation can easily turn them into a horrific tool of exploitation.
Black Mirror, episode Beyond the Sea
Genre: science fiction, dystopia
Premiere date: 2023
In «Moon», during the hero’s video call to his daughter, we briefly hear the voice of the real Sam, who became the prototype of all clones and now lives peacefully on Earth. Is it possible to use cloning in such a way that an astronaut could be millions of kilometers away from Earth for some part of the day, and at home with his family for the rest?
Not another word! The authors of «Black Mirror» have already shown everything in the third episode of the sixth season. The idea is the same, but there are some differences. According to the plot, in the retrofuturistic past, astronauts David Ross (Josh Hartnett) and Cliff Stanfield (Aaron Paul) are performing a six-year program aboard the space station. Due to the length of the mission, the organizers took care of their mental health. Therefore, they developed a technology that brings consciousness back to Earth.
For this purpose, perfect copies of the astronauts’ bodies were created. In fact, in the series, they are biomechanical, but nothing would change if we assume the use of clones. This allows David and Cliff to periodically move in with their doubles to be with their families. True, everything ends tragically in the series, but that’s what «Black Mirror» is for, to show us the dark side of the latest technologies.
The Island
Genre: fantasy action movie, dystopia
Premiere date: 2005
In the film «Island», there is an entire organization that is engaged in growing clones. The protagonists, Lincoln and Jordan, live in a gated residential complex, outside which lies a dead radioactive desert. From time to time, they participate in a lottery, the winners of which go to a paradise island — the only piece of land on Earth that has not been affected by an environmental disaster.
But one day, Lincoln learns the truth: all the residents of the complex are clones of the rich, kept in case they need «spare parts». And the longed-for trip to the island actually means organ harvesting and death.
Never Let Me Go
Genre: a dystopian fantasy, film adaptation
Premiere date: 2010
It has become a tradition that every science fiction movie in which the cruel exploitation of clones takes place in secret has its counterpart in which it is officially legalized («Moon» / «Mickey 17»). Similar to «Island» in the movie «Never Let Me Go», clones are grown for «spare parts». But in the dystopian UK, cloning people to create living organ donors — is quite commonplace.
Replicas
Genre: sci-fi thriller
Premiere date: 2018
«Reproduction», starring Keanu Reeves, shows us an example of a transitional technology where growing identical bodies in tanks of nutrient fluid is no longer difficult. However, copying and consciousness transfers are still at the experimental stage.
Talented scientist Will Foster is trying to transfer the consciousness of dead people into humanoid robots. His latest sample even opened its eyes after the transfer procedure. But, as IT experts say, a conflict between hardware and software immediately arose, causing the robot to lose its mind and start harming itself.
Soon after, Will and his family were involved in a terrible accident that killed his wife and three children. Desperate, the scientist throws aside his professional duties and the laws of scientific ethics to copy the consciousness of his loved ones into cloned bodies. However, he has only three containers for growing bodies, so he cannot clone his youngest daughter.
The problems do not end there. Knowing his wife’s negative attitude towards cloning, the hero decides to hide everything from his family. But how can he explain the disappearance of his daughter? The solution is the selective removal of memories, which makes Will a criminal even under the relatively lenient cloning laws of «Six Awakenings».
Swan Song
Genre: a fantastic melodrama
Premiere date: 2018
It is noteworthy that the topic of cloning is reflected in films of all genres. Our selection includes action movies, thrillers, and comedies, while «Swan Song» by Apple TV+ combines sci-fi with melodrama. In the world of cinema, human cloning has already moved beyond the experimental phase, but it is still not widespread.
The main character learns that he is terminally ill and receives a controversial offer to undergo a cloning procedure. His wife is currently three months pregnant. Such a decision would allow the family to avoid mental suffering and not lose financial support. But for some reason, the director of the secret cloning program sets a firm condition: no one must know.
To be honest, I thought that such secrecy hid some kind of conspiracy. But despite all expectations, the movie never turned into a thriller. Instead, it focused on the details of the cloning procedure and the feelings of the protagonist, who is torn between the desire to stay with his family to the last and the touching desire to protect them from future troubles even on the brink of death.
Dual
Genre: a fantastic thriller
Premiere date: 2021
As in the previous film, the heroine of «Dvynika» Sarah receives a terminal diagnosis. On the advice of her doctors, she applies for a clone to be created, which, after her imminent death, should be the only consolation for her boyfriend and mother. This is not an easy task, as a double is born with very limited skills and knowledge. Therefore, the procedure is usually done in advance, so that the person has time to give the clone at least some idea of their interests and lifestyle.
An interesting detail: clones in movies are almost always more active than the originals — apparently, they have not yet had time to use up their allotted energy. But while Mickey 18’s energy made him aggressive, the Sarah clone’s energy translated into increased sexuality and a penchant for intrigue. With this set of qualities, she quickly took the place of the heroine in life. And when the real Sarah came to the boyfriend with the news of her miraculous healing, he shocked her by deciding to stay with the clone.
Her mother, with whom Sarah was not very willing to communicate, also suddenly took the side of the caring copy. The furious woman files a petition to have the clone decommissioned. But it turns out that he has already filed a counter-appeal asking to stay alive. By law, the permanent coexistence of the original and the clone is prohibited. Therefore, in a year they will have to take part in a deadly duel, the winner of which will live on.
I’m not going to recount the further events — knowing them, watching the thriller will not be as interesting. Let me just say that «Doppelganger» emphasizes one of the main tropes of cloning films: the fear of losing one’s uniqueness. Without it, the priceless Mona Lisa becomes a reproduction, and a person loses his or her place in life and turns into another specimen in a series of copies that can be easily replaced by another or even destroyed at any time.
Infinity Pool
Genre: fantasy horror, thriller
Premiere date: 2022
Horrors star Mia Goth plays a seductive and mysterious woman, Gaby, who draws wealthy writer James (Alexander Skashgård) into a world of perverse fun at an upscale resort in Lee Tolk’s fictional seaside country. It begins when one day on his way back from the beach, a drunken James accidentally runs over a local farmer in his car.
According to the laws of Lee Tolk, the punishment for this crime is death by the victim’s firstborn child. But there is a nuance: for a considerable fee, you can clone yourself so that your double is killed instead. Naturally, James jumps at the chance. Shocked by the bloody spectacle, he learns that Gaby, her husband, and their friends had previously been convicted of serious crimes and paid for them by watching their own clones being killed.
At the «Executed» Club induction party, Gaby encourages James to get even with the local official who was involved in his conviction. Suddenly, what started as an attempt to scare and teach him a lesson turns into a real massacre. It is only when he is back in prison that the writer realizes that the murders were no accident: his new friends are drunk on impunity, so they commit the most brutal crimes for their own amusement.
James’ patience breaks down when he is tricked into abusing his own clone at a drug orgy. It turns out that it’s not hard to get a clone in this country – you just have to give a few coins to corrupt police officers.
From this point on, the movie becomes really scary. After all, with James’s clones in hand, Gaby and her crazy friends can do anything to James. For example, they can accuse him of crimes that a duplicate will commit on their orders and execute him instead, swapping them.
Multiplicity
Genre: comedy
Premiere date: 1996
Our selection has already included films with elements of black comedy, and now we present you a really great comedy from the 1990s, which, unfortunately, is no longer being made. In the story, civil engineer Doug — the same Mark Keaton who played Batman in the 1989 film — is torn between his exhausting job and his desire to spend more time with his family.
One day, Doug accidentally meets a scientist who works on human cloning and advises him to create a clone for work so that he can spend more time with himself. The movie hardly goes into the technical details of the process, but perfectly shows its unexpected consequences.
«The second» — clone that Doug created to replace him at work — has all the memories and skills of the original, but is characterized by hypertrophied masculinity. He performs miracles at work, but sits in a puddle when asked to help with something around the house. So Doug creates another assistant, — «Third», who is a reflection of his feminine side. He is sensitive, thoughtful, and loves to cook, but he knows nothing about construction.
It seems that with such helpers, he can finally live his best life. But clouds are beginning to gather over Doug: his wife, with whom other clones take turns communicating in his absence, is increasingly upset by his erratic behavior. And after «Third», who was forced to replace the sick «Second», failed to answer the inspector’s simple questions, he is fired from his job.
All this makes Doug realize that by trying to simplify his life, he has actually lost it. You can’t live a full life just by working or resting, — hello series «Separation» — happiness in combination. Of course, after a series of ridiculous adventures, a charming smart guy like Michael Keaton found a way to reconcile with his wife. And the movie ironically shows us that creating clones to make any job easier is not a good idea.
Oblivion
Genre: fantasy action movie
Premiere date: 2013
Of course, the aliens had never seen the movie «Me and My Clones». Therefore, they decided to use an army of clones to seize the Earth’s resources. One of them with the call sign «Technician-49», together with his colleague Victoria, lives at a station that controls automatic resource harvesters (hello, «Moon») that convert seawater into fusion energy.
Like Sam Bell, he hopes for the end of his long-term watch soon, after which he will be allowed to leave the uninhabitable Earth and settle on the huge space station TET, where the remnants of humanity have taken refuge. Like Sam, he also knows nothing about the aliens or the true purpose of his work.
But one day, while on patrol, Jack finds an escape pod of a spaceship, and in it — a charming stranger whom he has seen many times before in his dreams. This triggers a series of events that will save the planet from destruction and return the hero to his love.
Altered Carbon
Genre: science fiction, cyberpunk, film adaptation
Premiere date: 2018
The science fiction series, based on the novel of the same name by British writer Richard Morgan, takes viewers to the twenty-fourth century, where technology has reached extraordinary heights. Human personalities have learned to digitize, store on special media — stacks — and, if necessary, load into any interchangeable bodies, which are now regarded only as a material container of consciousness and are called «shells».
Speaking of any bodies. There is a stunning episode in the series when detective Christine Ortega downloads her late grandmother’s stack into the body of a tattooed drug dealer, and then brings her home in such an extravagant form so that the old woman can celebrate the traditional Day of the Dead with her many Mexican relatives.
In case of death of the body, the stack can be stored forever. Therefore, the term «death» now requires clarification. If a person dies, but the stack remains intact, they are usually «changed into a new shell within a day. Only when the stack is irreparably damaged does the so-called «true death» occur. Therefore, after defrosting, prisoners are firstly warned to avoid injuries to the back of the head and headshots.
But even in this world of futuristic technology, only the richest can afford to create young clones constantly and regularly store a copy of their consciousness in a remote storage facility, making them virtually immortal Methuselahs (a derivative of the biblical long-lived Methuselah). The poor are content with anybody they can afford: age, race, and even gender do not matter.
Against this backdrop, one of the world’s richest Mafia men, Lawrence Bancroft, brings the 250-year-old dead super-soldier Takeshi Kovacs back to life and places his consciousness in the cybernetically enhanced body of a recently killed police officer. Kovacs must find out who killed one of Bancroft’s bodies, otherwise he will return «on ice» — to the prison freezer where he will spend the rest of his endless imprisonment.
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