Review of Twins (1988) by Filipeneto — 17 Oct 2021

This film is part of a set of comedies that marked the nineties, and which was starred by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Not all of them worked well, but the fact is that they remain quite fresh in the collective memory and are still present in some TV channels specialized in cinema.

In this film, we see the meeting of Jules and Vincent, two non-identical twin brothers who are the result of a highly secret genetic scientific experiment, which aimed, in practice, to refine human genetic characteristics. They didn't know each other and will, together, learn to know each other and discover what's left of their blood family. In the meantime, Vincent will try to get rid of the criminals who are chasing him, and help his brother to find a girlfriend.

The film runs on a frightening premise... especially when we think about what has already been done in the name of genetic and racial enhancement. The scientific basis for the experience that the film recounts also seems to me dubious and questionable, as does the way in which Jules lived in isolation, without empirical knowledge of the world until he reached maturity. So the film has a lot of weird and unbelievable things for such a tiny script, but I tried my best to relativize that, give the film a chance. I felt it was fair, as it turned out to be a good bit of entertainment, able to make time go by quickly and have fun. It's not a movie that makes us laugh to tears, but it has its moments.

Although the cast has names like Chloe Webb or Bonnie Bartlett, the leading is entirely of the duo Arnold Schwarzenegger & Danny DeVito. Eager to show that he could be more than a beefy action figure, the Austrian giant was huge in the way he clung to his character and made him truly likable, even though I sometimes considered him artificial. DeVito excels in his histrionic, exaggerated, sly and dishonest character. The actor's over-acting fit well with the character's personality. I still think we can particularly mention Kelly Preston's work: she was no more than a sexy girl to be Schwarzenegger's love interest and didn't have much to do, but she pulled off well.

Technically, the film is very understated and doesn't stand out. Most of the production values are standard and are within what we would find in an average film from the nineties. This is the case of cinematography, costumes, props, sets... they fulfill their role well, but they don't bring anything really remarkable. The soundtrack deserves a positive note: it's not bright, it has a very eighties-style sound, with synthesizer and electronic touches, but it works and makes itself heard. The editing was done with some care and guarantees a pleasant pace, with the story going smoothly and without delay.