Replicas Blu Ray Review (Lionsgate)

Replicas is a 2018 science fiction film directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff (Traitor, Homeland, Hollywood Palms, & Masterwork). It was written by Chad St. John (London Has Fallen, Peppermint, & My Own Worst Enemy). It was filmed in 2016, it didn’t get released until early 2019. It had a budget of $30 million & it grossed $8 million at the box office worldwide. William Foster (played by: Keanu Reeves from John Wick franchise, The Matrix franchise, Speed, & Point Break) & Ed Whittle (played by: Thomas Middleditch from Zombieland: Double Tap, Tag, The Final Girls, & Silicon Valley) are biomedical research scientists working for Biogeny Corporation in Puerto Rico. They are attempting to transfer the mind of a dead soldier into an android with superhuman strength. They get a connection but the experiment ends horribly. Foster’s boss Jones (played by: John Ortiz from Miami Vice, Peppermint, The Cloverfield Paradox, & American Gangster) tells him that if he can’t get Subject 345 to work soon they will be forced to shut down the project.

Foster goes on a trip to get away from all the stress with his family which includes his wife Mona (played by: Alice Eve from Iron Fist, ATM, Star Trek Into Darkness, & Men in Black 3), daughters Sophie (played by: Emily Alyn Lind from The Babysitter, Revenge, Code Black, & J. Edgar), Zoe (played by: Aria Lyric Leabu from The Thinning 1/2, Mad Men, & Grey’s Anatomy), & his son Matt (played by: Emjay Anthony from Krampus, Chef, Incarnate, & Rake). A fatal car accident tragically kills all of them but William. He is desperate to bring them back so he uses his own research & equipment from work to achieve that. The company finds out what he did behind their back & tries to tie up loose ends before this all gets out. William Foster fights to save his family again but the government doesn’t want this information in the public, can he outsmart them before it’s too late?

Replicas was better than expected. I like the bringing back to life concept & this was a different spin on it. The cinematography was impressive, the visuals & atmosphere really stood out. The effects were unique, it’s a nice addition to the science fiction genre. Keanu Reeves, Alice Eve, Thomas Middleditch, & John Ortiz are all familiar faces when it comes to cinema. Let’s be real, the first three are not exactly known for being the best actors in the world. Despite that, I am a huge Keanu Reeves fan & I thought this was one of his better performances in recent years. Alice Eve is beautiful & always grabs attention when she is on the screen so that’s a plus. Thomas Middleditch should stick to doing TV commercials, I thought someone else in that role would have really boosted the production value. John Ortiz is highly under-rated as an actor & he really shines as the villain here. It really picks up towards the end & delivers. Don’t expect anything ground breaking or mind blowing with this but it’s entertaining & worth checking out. RECOMMENDED!

Let’s talk about the high definition presentation from Lionsgate! This 1080p (2.39:1) transfer looks great on blu ray! I am surprised it didn’t get a 4K release especially considering the crazy visuals & the fact that Keanu Reeves is very popular right now with the John Wick series. The English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is top notch. The dialogue is crystal clear & the music sets the tone for everything. All the action & thrills are boosted here. That’s true highlight when it comes to the technical aspects of this release. Both picture & sound are high quality, it’s a fun experience. It also has English SDH & Spanish subtitles.

Let’s discuss the special features from Lionsgate. “Audio Commentary” with Director Jeffrey Nachmanoff & Executive Producer James Dodson. They talk about making this with a Tax Break from filming it in Puerto Rico. They say it was a passion project from lead actor Keanu Reeves who also came up with the story & produced the feature. They chat about various cast members & what they brought to the movie. They mention working with a lower budget for this. They talk about the score & the familiar Frankenstein concept for the story. They chat about having to leave stuff out to get the PG-13 rating & how it’s harder for smaller films to push the limit there. Lots of scene by scene chatter here, they go into detail about putting together Replicas. “Imprint Complete: The Making of Replicas” is almost 26 minutes. It has interviews with director Jeffrey Nachmanoff, actors Keanu Reeves, Alice Eve, Thomas Middleditch, John Ortiz, & various other members of the production. They talk about their experience on the film. They go intro detail about their characters & working with other cast members for this. Especially Keanu, he has a variety of nice things to say about his co-stars. They bring up sci fi genre & the visual style. They mention it having a lower budget compared to most. It goes behind the scenes of them doing score for the feature. A little over 8 minutes of “Deleted Scenes” featuring footage not in the final cut. It adds some more character development but I can see why these were left out. It has various “Trailers” for other Lionsgate releases. It also includes a slipcover, a digital code, & a DVD copy of the release. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!