The Arnold Schwarzenegger Sci-Fi Action Thriller No One Even Remembers
The 6th Day, the cloning-themed sci-fi action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, is streaming now free with ads on Pluto TV. Released in 2000, the movie was directed by Roger Spottiswoode and stars Schwarzenegger, along with Tony Goldwyn, Michael Rapaport, Michael Rooker, Sarah Wynter, and Robert Duvall. It also features the film acting debut of Terry Crews.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Cloned In The 6th Day
In The 6th Day, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays an ordinary family man who is accidentally cloned as part of a conspiracy in a future world where animal cloning has become commonplace, but the cloning of humans is outlawed.
The laws banning the cloning of humans are referred to as “Sixth Day” laws, a name chosen for the sixth day in the Book of Genesis when God created humans. The conspirators who are responsible for the cloning are connected with a shadowy billionaire who wants to keep the cloning operation a secret so as not to have the illegal enterprise shut down.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in The 6th Day is Adam Gibson, a charter pilot who is hired to take billionaire Michael Drucker on a skiing excursion. Drucker is the head of Replacement Technologies, a giant corporation that clones animals, but has secretly developed the technology to clone humans. When Adam’s daughter’s dog dies, he sends a friend in his place to pilot the plane while he goes to one of Drucker’s RePet facilities to buy a replacement dog.
The 6th Day Premiered At The Height Of The Cloning Craze
When Adam goes home, he finds he has been replaced by a clone and is kidnapped by some of Drucker’s employees. The rest of The 6th Day features Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character trying to expose the truth and regain his real life, seeking to protect his family from the agents of Drucker’s conspiracy.
The film was made just a few years after the cloning of Dolly the sheep and the same year as the mapping of the human genome and reflects paranoia at the time regarding the technology of human cloning, as well as the usual Hollywood myths about what cloning is and how it works.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Nominated For A Razzie
The 6th Day stars Arnold Schwarzenegger in dual roles as both Adam and his clone, both of which earned the actor award nominations, though they were not all flattering. Schwarzenegger was nominated for Razzie Awards for both Worst Actor and Worst Supporting Actor for his work in the film, as well as a nomination for Adam and the clone as Worst Screen Couple, though all these awards were ultimately lost to Battlefield Earth. Ironically, Schwarzenegger also received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actor, though he lost that award to Hugh Jackman for his portrayal of Wolverine in X-Men.
The 6th Day not only received Saturn Award nominations for Arnold Schwarzenegger’s performances, but also for Best Science Fiction Film, Best Special Effects, and Best Make-Up. It lost all of those Awards to X-Men, Hollow Man, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, respectively.
What these nominations mean in light of the simultaneous nominations for Razzie Awards is certainly up for debate, but the film was less than popular with critics. It has a 49 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is not completely embarrassing, and it stands by some accounts on par with some of Schwarzenegger’s more popular films like Total Recall.
Some Thought The 6th Day Was As Good As Terminator
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s turn in The 6th Day has mostly been forgotten by audiences and received tepid critical response at the time. However, it’s clear from the Saturn Award nominations at least that some watchers felt there was merit to the film and to the actor’s performances in it. Roger Ebert stood out among his peers by giving the film four out of five stars and comparing it with other similar fare starring Schwarzenegger such as Total Recall and Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
It was clear from his review that Ebert did not demand much of an Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi action film, leading to The 6th Day‘s mostly positive review. The film is certainly an entertaining experience and a throwback to an earlier time in science fiction cinema that has a particular flavor we’re unlikely to experience again. If you find this type of movie appealing, it’s worth giving this one a try.
The 6th Day Is Streaming For Free
If you’re a fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s science fiction and action films, The 6th Day might be a movie you already know. But if you haven’t seen it or would like to revisit this era of science fiction, now is a good time. You can stream The 6th Day free with ads right now on Pluto TV.
