Clone Cops Review: Unique and Funny Indie Comedy
Streaming Movie Review - VOD - Comedy/SciFi
A sci-fi story about an evil corporation profiting from human cloning is a fairly common trope. In the new film Clone Cops from director Danny Dones, that trope is given a new comedic twist for the social media and streaming age. The film is now streaming on VOD.
Porter (Laura Holloway) is about to lead her team on one last big heist. Cipher (Allison Shrum) is running the tech side of things, Brick (Ted Welch) is in charge of the weapons, and Fera (Quinnlan Ashe) is running point. But as they are making plans, they realize that they have a new member of the team, Kinder (Schyler Tillett), who is there to learn from them. In order to make it out, they will need to defeat the clone cops (all played by Phillip Cordell, who also co-wrote the film) that Nefaricorp is sending to stop them. As they make their escape plans, they learn something about themselves that changes everything.
This movie easily boasts one of the funniest scripts I’ve seen in a while. It is filled with jokes, and the overwhelming majority worked right from the start. And that’s to say nothing of the humor that is embedded in a lot of the text on screen that there wasn’t time to read. Clone Cops throws comedy into nearly every frame of the movie, and the overwhelming majority works remarkably well.
Most of that is due to the way this movie frames the idea of cloning. Rather than focusing on the ethics of cloning, the film instead examines how violence is commodified and how a society that requires constant entertainment will flock to a streaming show that pits groups against each other and tallies up the body count for their amusement. This unique perspective allows the film to create something engaging beyond what you might expect.
The performances are pretty hit or miss in this low-budget film, so tempering expectations is appropriate. But there are still some great moments. Henry Haggard, who plays the scientist in charge of creating the clones, is great, and Cordell is genuinely funny as the clones. Things are a little spottier in the heist team, which means that some of the more heartfelt moments don’t land as well as one would hope.
The frenetic nature of the film, which is essentially a Twitch stream, sometimes keeps Clone Cops from flowing naturally. That said, the look is a fantastic blend of a dystopian, washed-out landscape covered in a neon, 80s-style aesthetic that makes it a blast to watch.
Seeking out truly independent movies is always a gamble. Low-budget films can really stretch viewers, especially when they are accustomed to the glossy look of a studio blockbuster. But every now and then, you come across an idea that is so bonkers and out of the box that you’re glad you took a chance. Clone Cops is a movie worth taking a chance on.
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on February 1, 2025.