The 6th Day

Glossy sci-fi action blockbuster with a blockbuster budget (north of 80 million dollars) directed by Roger Spottiswoode for Columbia Pictures, “The 6th Day” boldly addresses significant, highly topical scientific themes without having the slightest inkling of what it’s talking about. Genetic engineering, bioethical concerns, and the theme of identity are among subjects methodically debased by an overall superficiality typical of the worst Hollywood blockbusters.

But as far as pure entertainment goes, the film is a modest success. Schwarzenegger, in a tailor-made role (two, actually), sets his “acting” on autopilot, alternating between muscle-bound action scenes and the obligatory juvenile quips (corny stuff like: “Oh, I’m so sorry, but I haven’t been myself lately“; or: “Doesn’t anyone stay dead anymore?!“).

Husband and wife screenwriters Cormac and Marianne Wibberley slavishly follow the “Total Recall” (1990) game plan, hitting the following key plot points: Start with a glimpse of Arnie’s domestic bliss, move on to a jaw-dropping product/service (here, in place of “Rekall” we get “RePet”, a company promising physically and mentally identical replacements for beloved pets that have passed away), followed by unexpected and explosive events that suddenly upend the protagonist’s life, and then his predictable and visually dramatic battle (involving lots of car chases and high-tech firearms) to regain his prior life. Despite the attempt to “clone” Paul Verhoeven’s 1990 movie, the result doesn’t approach the conceptual punch and critical wherewithal of the earlier work.

Filmed in Canada and featuring an amazing outlay of digital special effects, some of which already look terribly dated. The clones in the amniotic tanks are oddly reminiscent of the “Somas” from “The Resurrection of Zachary Wheeler” (1971), the misunderstood medical thriller starring a then young Leslie Nielsen.

Zero substance, bursts of entertainment.