6th Day Creates Excitement: Cloning's Ethical implications

Does a clone have a soul? Do clones have rights? Are clones human, or are they just objects to be used and discarded like lab animals? Those are some of the questions raised in Arnold Schwarzenegger's newest movie, "The 6th Day," a special effects laden feast for the eyes and mind.

In the movie, Arnold plays Adam Gibson, a man who owns a company that flies the rich to remote mountains so they can ski. One day, an important client named Mr. Drucker hires Gibson, requesting him by name. Gibson has to undergo a series of "tests" before taking the job, one involving a sample of blood being removed and another where his eyes are scanned. However, these tests are actually meant to collect a sample of his DNA and download information from his brain, called a "synchor." With these, Gibson is cloned, and he discovers that the clone has replaced him.

However, in this future, all human cloning has been banned. Now, the villains of the story need to kill Gibson in order to keep their illegal operation secret. In the ensuing chase, we meet assassins who never seem to die permanently, including one appropriately named Wile E. Coyote, who dies more than any other character; helicopters that can also become jets; and, Christian activists named the "Fundamentalists" who oppose everything having to do with cloning, even the replication of pets. And of course, there's always the question of who's the clone and who's the real thing?

The movie handles the ethical ramifications of cloning rather well. On one hand, there are those who say human cloning will allow people to live forever, such as Mozart or Einstein, in addition to citing the medical benefits cloning will bring. An example given by Drucker is the story of two boys. One has liver cancer, the other an inoperable brain tumor. The ability to replicate organs would allow doctors to save the first boy, but only being allowed to clone an entire human would save the second. On the other side, are those concerned with who chooses who lives and dies, as well as the moral implications of cheating death and possibly creating something that has no soul. The movie lets the viewer decide which side of the issue they are on. The movie is content with just bringing the subject up for open debate and avoids making the movie into a lightning rod for controversy.

As for the directing, the actions scenes are solid, and the heroes behave intelligently. The acting is well done and makes for believable characters. The only complaint is some of the characters might have been fleshed out a little more to avoid stereotypes, but this was only a minor problem. The special effects, done by CGI, were well integrated with the live-action shots. Overall, I give the movie three out of four stars and recommend you see it over Christmas vacation.