Plot: Hitoshi Nagano, who works at an electronics store, picks up a cellphone left behind by a customer and goes about a scam. He calls the person’s mother and pretends to be her son. He then gets the mother to transfer money to his bank account. Soon, Hitoshi gets a lot more than he bargained for.

KBZ’s Take: We’ll be the first to admit we’re not entirely show how to classify this film. It deals with clones but where are these clones that are different versions of Hitoshi coming from? The Multiverse?

The film is based on the well-known “It’s Me” scam in Japan and uses the scam as a foundation for some very original Sci-Fi and Comedy elements. As the film progresses, clones of Hitoshi (Kazuya Kamenashi) start to appear more frequently and in different variations. At first, the original Hitoshi sees the benefits to all these clones as they can work his day job for him. But as more and more clones start to appear, he slowly realizes that the world can’t support all these different versions of himself and some of them must be eliminated.

This is a really great film that shouldn’t be missed for Kamenashi’s performance as all the different variations of Hitoshi. Highly recommended for fans of the subgenre.

Additional Lists: Top Films About the Multiverse You Haven’t Seen #5

Where to Stream / Buy: https://youtu.be/UB_qfrTIQ8s

Plot: Jack Harper is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete. His existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

KBZ’s Take: We can’t talk too much about this film without spoiling it, so we’ll just say that the film has multiple reveals that get better as the plot progresses. It’s a great Tom Cruise / Joseph Kosinski pairing that’s only rivaled by their other blockbuster – Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

Additional Lists: Best Alien Invasion Films #13, Best Robot Films #17

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3PHj5rs

Plot: The story of the first cloned human being – told in her own words: At the age of thirty the world-famous composer Iris Sellin learns that she has an incurable illness. In order to preserve her art and also herself, beyond death, for all posterity, she has herself cloned. Her daughter Siri, whom, in this way, she turns into her virtual twin, learns as a child that she is the world’s first cloned human being. In fact, a blueprint: a blueprint of her mother. From that moment on nothing is as it was before…

KBZ’s Take: This is a very underrated film and it’s very surprising it’s so difficult to find. This German film has a great performance from Franka Potente (Run Lola Run (1998), The Bourne Identity (2002)) and it tackles a very unique theme of cloning – where does the identity of an exact clone of yourself begin and end?

The film is primarily a Drama with Sci-Fi undertones as it explores the deteriorating relationship between mother and daughter once the daughter finds out she is a clone. Highly recommended for fans of the subgenre.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3JHySm0

Plot: In 2019, Lincoln Six-Echo is a resident of a seemingly Utopian but contained facility. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully-controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to The Island – reportedly the last uncontaminated location on the planet. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie.

KBZ’s Take: We know some people might argue that our ranking for this film and Never Let Me Go (2010) should probably be flipped. That is a valid argument as both films tackle the same subject matter, but we just felt The Island is the better film.

Michael Bay might not be the first director you would think of to tackle deeper themes of cloning and identity, but somehow, he pulls it off. While Never Let Me Go has a more somber message about cloning’s ethical issues, Bay wraps his trademarked action sets around these same themes to provide a much more thrilling (and entertaining) ride.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/44czlVC

Plot: Construction worker Doug Kinney finds that the pressures of his working life, combined with his duties to his wife Laura and daughter Jennifer leaves him with little time for himself. However, he is approached by geneticist Dr. Owen Leeds, who offers Doug a rather unusual solution to his problems: cloning.

KBZ’s Take: We likely wouldn’t have rated this film this high if it starred anyone besides Michael Keaton. Keaton was at the top of his game in the 1990’s and this is one of his vastly underrated roles as Doug and his various clones (especially #4).

This isn’t a film where you will get into the deeper issues with cloning but rather the more humorous aspects of how you would live life if you had multiple clones of yourself. And it’s still the best film representing the degraded nature of a copy of a copy of a clone to hilarious effect.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3D00pLG

Plot: Guided by a seductive and mysterious woman, a couple on vacation venture outside the resort grounds and find themselves in a culture filled with violence, hedonism and untold horror. A tragic accident soon leaves them facing a zero tolerance policy for crime: either you’ll be executed, or, if you’re rich enough to afford it, you can watch yourself die instead.

KBZ’s Take: We suspect most of the negative reviews of this film were from fans expecting more trademarked Cronenberg Body Horror in the film and that’s led to a love it or hate it rep. While the film isn’t as good as Brandon Cronenberg’s previous effort, Possessor (2021), it’s more Sci-Fi focused and explores a unique theme of the subgenre.

Without discussing too much of the film (to spoil it), we will say that we found the resulting actions of the characters very believable. Detractors of the film also point to the pretentiousness of the characters, but that again fits within the narrative of the film once the first act ends.

Though the film has an equal number of fans and detractors, we would still recommend it for fans of the subgenre looking for a film that tackles deeper moral themes of cloning. Just don’t expect a Cronenberg-type Horror film going in.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3XJ5JwD

Plot: With only three weeks left in his three-year contract, Sam Bell is getting anxious to finally return to Earth. He is the only occupant of a Moon-based manufacturing facility along with his computer and assistant, GERTY. When he has an accident, however, he wakes up to find that he is not alone.

KBZ’s Take: Moon features quite a few Hard Sci-Fi elements – some which we can discuss and some we cannot (due to spoilers). The first we can discuss is GERTY – Sam’s AI assistant. Though GERTY comes off as typical AI we’ve seen in other Sci-Fi films, it’s the emotional support GERTY gives to Sam while he is isolated on the Moon. The film is one of the better films of the subgenre that focuses on the isolation and monotony of work in Space.

The other Hard Sci-Fi element is much more interesting (and controversial) – the film’s reason for Sam being on the Moon in the first place – to mine and extract Helium-3. Though the extraction of Helium-3 as an abundant source of clean energy sounds utopian, there are proponents and skeptics of its feasibility. Either way, Moon is one of the better films that grounds both its narrative and environment in accurate scientific fundamentals.

Additional Lists: Best Hard Sci-Fi Films #7, Best Films About Space #6

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/44nw06G

Plot: Matthew Bennell notices that several of his friends are complaining that their close relatives are in some way different. When questioned later they themselves seem changed, as they deny everything or make lame excuses. As the invaders increase in number they become more open and Bennell, who has by now witnessed an attempted replacement, realizes that he and his friends must escape or suffer the same fate.

KBZ’s Take: This film is #3 on our list simply due to the number of films that have used the “Body Snatchers” theme of cloning as the basis for an Alien Invasion. While the 1978 version of Body Snatchers wasn’t the first, here is a list of all the films based on this concept and story: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), this film, Body Snatchers (1993), The Puppet Masters (1994), The Invasion (2007) and Assimilate (2019).

While the 1978 version is a bit dated with a 70’s San Francisco setting, the theme and horror of the pod people assimilation is just as relevant (and scary) today. While younger viewers might watch the more recent Assimilate, we advise any film fan generation to check out this version first – it’s the scariest, has some truly disturbing scenes (you’ll never forget the homeless man and his dog), and has arguably one of the most horrific and bone chilling endings to any film you will see.

Additional Lists: Top Films About Alien Invasions You Haven’t Seen #1, Best Alien Invasion Films #2, Top Scariest Halloween Films For Adults You Haven’t Seen #7

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3UqRzgz

Plot: Nazi hunter discovers a sinister plot to clone Hitler.

KBZ’s Take: Another popular film of the 1970’s that was our #1 on our Top Sci-fi Biotechnology Films You Haven’t Seen, #3 on our Top Films About Nazi Fugitives and Nazi Hunters and #5 on our Top Films About Conspiracies You Haven’t Seen. We continue to highlight the film so younger film lovers and fans of the subgenre don’t miss out on it.

It’s a great film led by acting greats Laurence Olivier (Nazi Hunter), Gregory Peck (Nazi Fugitive) and James Mason (Nazi Handler). Steve Guttenberg even gives a great performance. While the film isn’t heavy on the scientific or technical details of cloning, it more than makes up for it as a thrilling and suspenseful film about an incredible Nazi conspiracy. It also raises ethical questions about cloning that we are still grappling with today.

Finally, while Laurence Olivier is often regarded as one of the greatest actors of all-time, all you need to do is watch his role in this film as the Nazi hunter vs. his role as the Nazi villain in Marathon Man (1976) to see how effortlessly he transitions between roles and why he’s one of the best. Highly recommended and a must watch film of the subgenre.

Additional Lists: Top Sci-fi Biotechnology Films You Haven’t Seen #1, Top Films About Nazi Fugitives and Nazi Hunters #3, Top Films About Conspiracies You Haven’t Seen #5

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3HIzk2K

Plot: A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy — full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.

KBZ’s Take: This wouldn’t be a KBZ list without another Christopher Nolan-helmed film making our rankings. If you haven’t noticed by now, he’s our favorite director and all his films are some of our favorites.

For The Prestige, this is another film where we can’t talk too much about it in detail, so we don’t ruin the numerous reveals for others. What we can say is that even though the film doesn’t delve into the scientific aspects of cloning, it more than makes up for it with motifs of pride, envy and revenge at the expense of morality.

On the off chance that you still haven’t seen the film, we would suggest moving it to the top of your queue ASAP. It truly is not only a great subgenre film, but one of the best films of the last 20 years.

Where to Stream / Buy: https://amzn.to/3CWFiKf