Parents' Guide to The 6th Day

For a movie that claims the sanctity of human life seriously, THE 6TH DAY is gleefully homicidal. Clones and non-clones are dispatched left and right, as though dealing out death were part of a devoted father's everyday responsibilities. In regard to the ethical quagmire of human cloning, the movie makes almost no sense. Adam is horrified by the very possibility of such an unnatural practice. And yet, by the movie's end, he has formed a partnership with his clone (a role previously occupied by his murdered buddy), proving that narcissism is the ultimate form of friendship.

But The 6th Day doesn't entirely lack cleverness. In one scene, Adam visits a RePet franchise and is told that, via the miracle of cloning, he can have his dead dog back new and improved. And there's the family fridge that automatically notifies users of dwindling supplies. There are also a few cool effects scenes, with remote-flown helicopters and amniotic tanks full of "blank" human forms, waiting for DNA infusions. For teens and adults happy to sit through any Schwarzenegger vehicle, this is an okay movie, but those seeking coherence and a touch of plausibility should look elsewhere.