1.
Mary
Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818)
Novel about a young man who creates a creature in
the shape of a man then rejects it, creating conflict between the two. It has
been adapted numerous times, with some less faithful to the original text than
others. It features several themes that can be attributed to cloning, such as
the responsibility of a creator to the created as well as the folly of trying
to ‘play God’
Shelly, M.
(1818). Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. United Kingdom, UK: Lackington,
Hughes, Harding, Mavor & Jones
2. Jurassic Park (1990/1993)
Science-fiction
novel by Michael Crichton where dinosaurs are genetically recreated for an
island amusement park, only to escape and cause havoc. Later adapted into a
film by Steven Spielberg. Offers a cautionary tale on the implications of using
cloning to revive extinct species.
Crichton, M.
(1990). Jurassic Park. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf
Spielberg,
S. (1993). Jurassic Park. Universal City, California: Universal Studios
3.
The
Boys from Brazil (1976/1978)
A thriller
novel by Ira Levin wherein a Nazi Hunter uncovers a plot by a former Nazi
scientist who is trying to create a new leader for the fascist movement by
creating clones of Adolf Hitler. Two years after its release it was adapted
into a film.
Levin, I.
(1976). The Boys from Brazil. New York, NY: Random House
Schaffner,
F. J. (1978). The Boys from Brazil. California, US: Twentieth Century Fox Film
Corporation
4.
Sleeper
(1973)
A
science-fiction comedy film written and directed by Woody Allen about a man who
is cryogenically frozen and wakes up in an inept totalitarian state. It is
based on the H.G. Wells book When the Sleeper Wakes, and features multiple
elements of science-fiction, including cloning, which is briefly introduced
when it is revealed that the leader of the state is dead and his followers are
planning to clone him from his nose.
Allen, W.
(1973). Sleeper. Century City, Los Angeles: United Artists
5.
Multiplicity
(1996)
A comedy
film about a man who creates clones of himself to take care of all his
responsibilities for him. Not a serious film, but it does include some
interesting ideas about cloning, such as how each clone has its own personality
and that if a clone is cloned, the resulting offspring has a lower IQ.
Ramis, H.
& Albert, T. (1996). Multiplicity. California, US: Columbia Pictures
6.
Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968) Philip K. Dick
A
science-fiction novel about a bounty hunter faced with ‘retiring’ six androids
who have escaped. Though the androids are not actually clones, they are made of
organic components and their presence in the book does bring up several themes
regarding whether a copy of a human is, in fact, human.
Dick, P. K.
(1968). Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? New York City, NY: Doubleday
7.
Blade
Runner (1982)
A
science-fiction action film loosely based on Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep. It features the same general story, themes and characters, only the
bounty hunters are called Blade Runners and the androids are known as
replicants.
Scott, R.
(1982). Blade Runner. California, US: Warner Bros Pictures
8.
Gattaca
(1997)
A
science-fiction film featuring a future society driven by liberal eugenics,
where genetic engineering allows for the creation of genetically optimal
children. This has resulted in discrimination from the genetically superior
‘valids’ towards the natural, inferior ‘invalids’.
Niccol, A.
(1997). Gattaca. California, US: Columbia Pictures
9.
The
Island (2005)
A
science-fiction/ thriller film involving a facility of clones used for organ
harvesting, surrogate motherhood and other purposes. The clones themselves are
raised under the impression that they are survivors of a global pandemic, with
a lottery allowing certain individuals to go to a paradise known as ‘the
Island’ (in reality, a ruse for the harvesting). The clones are all mentally
like children, though the protagonist manages to develop further. The film
explores several themes regarding the nature of clones and the ethics of
creating them.
Bay, M. (2005). The Island. California, US: Dreamworks Studios &
Warner Bros Pictures
10.
Womb
(2010)
A film about
a woman who gives birth to and raises a clone of her dead partner. Themes
regarding the nature of clones compared to their original counterparts and the
ethics behind the process are explored.
Fliegauf, B.
(2010). Womb. Germany: Independent film
11.
Never
Let Me Go (2005/2010)
A dystopian
science-fiction novel about the lives of three characters throughout their
lives at a boarding school. It is revealed that they are clones created to
provide non-clones with vital organs. It was adapted into a film in 2010.
Ishiguro, K.
(2005). Never Let Me Go. London, UK: Faber and Faber
Romanek, M.
(2010). Never Let Me Go. California, US: Fox Searchlight Pictures
12.
Judge
Dredd
The
character Judge Dredd from 2000AD is a clone of the first Chief Judge. He and
his brother, Rico Dredd, both had their growth artificially accelerated and
were given the name Dredd to ‘instill fear in the population’. The character
has also been cloned himself.
Wagner, J.
& Ezquerra, C. & Mills, P. (1977). 2000AD No.2. London, UK: Fleetway
13.
Spider-Man:
The Clone Saga
A highly
controversial storyline from Marvel’s Spider-Man comics that spanned throughout
much of the 1990s. It involved a clone of Peter Parker known as Ben Reilly, who
is ‘revealed’ to actually be the original while Peter is apparently a clone. It
was originally planned to be completed in less than a year, but when the comics
began selling well the writers were encouraged to prolong the story as long as
possible. The result was one of the most convoluted and despised superhero
stories of all time.
Kavanagh, T.
& Cavalieri, J. & Dezago, T. & DeMatteis, J. M. & DeFalco, T.,
(1994-1996). Amazing Spider-Man #394-418/Sensational Spider-Man
#0-11/Spectacular Spider-Man #217-240/Spider-Man #51-75/Spider-Man Unlimited
#7-14/ Web of Spider-Man #117-129. New York city, NY: Marvel Comics
14.
Metal Gear Solid series
A
Stealth-Action videogame series created by Hideo Kojima. In the first MGS, the
protagonist, Solid Snake, and antagonist, Liquid, are both revealed to be
clones of legendary soldier Big Boss. In the second game, Sons of Liberty, a
third clone, Solidus, is revealed. Finally, in the fourth game, Guns of the Patriots,
Snake has aged rapidly and only has a year left to live. This is revealed to
have been caused by his telomeres being deliberately altered. It is also shown
that he and Liquid are not exact copies of Big Boss.
Kojima, H.
(1998-2008). Metal Gear Solid/ Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty/ Metal Gear
Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Tokyo,
Japan: Konami Corporation
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