Replicas
A daring synthetic biologist, after a car accident kills his family, will stop at nothing to bring them back, even if it means pitting himself against a government-controlled laboratory, a police task force and the physical laws of science.
The film box office disappointment against its mid-range budget of $30.0M, earning $8.1M globally (-73% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its innovative storytelling within the action genre.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Replicas (2018) showcases strategically placed dramatic framework, characteristic of Jeffrey Nachmanoff's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 47 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.6, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (2% through the runtime) establishes William Foster works at Bionyne lab on consciousness transfer technology, showing his obsessive dedication to science while his family waits for him at home. Establishes him as a brilliant neuroscientist consumed by his work.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when During a family trip to celebrate their daughter's acceptance to music school, their car crashes off a cliff in the rain. William survives but watches helplessly as his wife and three children die at the scene. His entire family is taken from him in an instant.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to William makes the active choice to proceed with the illegal consciousness transfer, beginning the process of mapping his dead family's neural patterns. He crosses the point of no return, choosing to play God rather than grieve naturally. Ed warns this violates every ethical principle, but William is committed., moving from reaction to action.
At 51 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 48% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat False victory: The consciousness transfer succeeds! Mona and the two older children wake up in their new synthetic bodies. They have their memories and personalities. William believes he's achieved the impossible - he's brought his family back from the dead. But stakes raise as he must now hide the truth from them and from Bionyne., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 78 minutes (73% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, All is lost: Mona discovers the truth - she and the children are synthetic replicas, Sophie was left behind, and they all died in the crash. The family is devastated by the revelation. Jones and Bionyne enforcers arrive to seize the technology and eliminate the evidence. Ed is killed trying to protect William - a literal death that represents the death of William's moral compass and his last chance at redemption through honesty., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 85 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Synthesis moment: William realizes he must protect his family's right to exist, regardless of how they came to be. He accepts they are real and deserve to live. He discovers Jones plans to weaponize the technology and destroy the evidence (including his family). William chooses to fight not to prove he was right, but to give his family the chance to live as themselves. He combines his scientific knowledge with newfound protective love., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Replicas's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Replicas against these established plot points, we can identify how Jeffrey Nachmanoff utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Replicas within the action genre.
Jeffrey Nachmanoff's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Jeffrey Nachmanoff films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.4, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Replicas represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Jeffrey Nachmanoff filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Jeffrey Nachmanoff analyses, see Traitor.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
William Foster works at Bionyne lab on consciousness transfer technology, showing his obsessive dedication to science while his family waits for him at home. Establishes him as a brilliant neuroscientist consumed by his work.
Theme
At family dinner, William's wife Mona questions whether playing God with consciousness transfer is ethical, asking "Just because we can do something, does it mean we should?" This thematic question about scientific ethics and the limits of human ambition will drive the entire story.
Worldbuilding
Setup of William's world: his work on Project 345 (consciousness transfer into synthetic bodies), his loving family (wife Mona, three children), his partnership with Ed Whittle, and the pressure from CEO Jones to deliver results. Shows the experimental pods, failed transfers, and the strain between William's scientific obsession and family life.
Disruption
During a family trip to celebrate their daughter's acceptance to music school, their car crashes off a cliff in the rain. William survives but watches helplessly as his wife and three children die at the scene. His entire family is taken from him in an instant.
Resistance
In shock and grief at the hospital morgue, William faces the bodies of his family. Instead of accepting their deaths, he hatches a desperate plan: use the consciousness transfer technology to bring them back. He convinces his reluctant friend Ed to help him break into the lab and steal equipment. They transport the bodies and set up an illegal operation in William's garage.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
William makes the active choice to proceed with the illegal consciousness transfer, beginning the process of mapping his dead family's neural patterns. He crosses the point of no return, choosing to play God rather than grieve naturally. Ed warns this violates every ethical principle, but William is committed.
Mirror World
William's relationship with Ed becomes the moral mirror - Ed represents the ethical conscience William is ignoring. Ed challenges whether bringing them back is right, whether they'll truly be the same people, and what the consequences will be. This subplot carries the thematic weight about the ethics of resurrection technology.
Premise
The "fun and games" of the premise: William works obsessively to map consciousness and grow synthetic bodies. He faces technical challenges - only three pods work, but he has four family members. He must choose to leave out his youngest daughter Sophie. The process advances as synthetic bodies mature in tanks, and William prepares for the transfer while hiding evidence and lying to Jones about his whereabouts.
Midpoint
False victory: The consciousness transfer succeeds! Mona and the two older children wake up in their new synthetic bodies. They have their memories and personalities. William believes he's achieved the impossible - he's brought his family back from the dead. But stakes raise as he must now hide the truth from them and from Bionyne.
Opposition
Pressure intensifies from multiple fronts: The family notices inconsistencies (missing sister Sophie, memory gaps, strange bodily sensations). Jones and Bionyne security get suspicious of William's absences and investigate. Police question the missing family. William must maintain elaborate lies while the synthetic bodies show glitches. Ed becomes increasingly uncomfortable with the deception. William's flaws - his arrogance and inability to accept loss - catch up with him as the web of lies becomes unsustainable.
Collapse
All is lost: Mona discovers the truth - she and the children are synthetic replicas, Sophie was left behind, and they all died in the crash. The family is devastated by the revelation. Jones and Bionyne enforcers arrive to seize the technology and eliminate the evidence. Ed is killed trying to protect William - a literal death that represents the death of William's moral compass and his last chance at redemption through honesty.
Crisis
William's dark night of the soul: His family rejects him for the lies, Ed is dead because of his choices, and Bionyne forces close in to destroy everything. He faces the consequences of playing God - his family questions if they're even real, if their existence is moral, if they have souls. William must confront whether he saved his family or created abominations. Mona tells him he did this for himself, not for them.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Synthesis moment: William realizes he must protect his family's right to exist, regardless of how they came to be. He accepts they are real and deserve to live. He discovers Jones plans to weaponize the technology and destroy the evidence (including his family). William chooses to fight not to prove he was right, but to give his family the chance to live as themselves. He combines his scientific knowledge with newfound protective love.
Synthesis
The finale: William and his family work together to fight Bionyne's forces and destroy the lab to prevent the technology from being weaponized. William confronts Jones, using his knowledge of the system to outwit corporate security. The family escapes and goes into hiding with new identities. William must destroy all evidence of the technology, including the possibility of bringing back Sophie, choosing his living family over his lost daughter.
Transformation
Final image mirrors opening: William is with his family, but now in hiding under new identities in a new location. Where he once was absent and obsessed with work, he is now present and protective. The family that once waited for him now lives cautiously together. He has transformed from a man who couldn't accept loss into one who fights to protect what he has, accepting the moral complexity of his choices. His family exists in defiance of natural law, but they exist together.