What if you could clone yourself? What if you could create a new life from your own cells? What if you could play God? These are some of the questions that Hwang Woo-suk, a South Korean scientist, tried to answer with his controversial research on human cloning. But his quest for scientific glory turned into a nightmare of deception, scandal, and disgrace.
King of Clones is a documentary that takes you inside the mind and the lab of Hwang Woo-suk, the man who claimed to have cloned human embryos and extracted stem cells from them. The film, directed by Aditya Thayi, gives you an unprecedented look at Hwang and his team, as they conduct their experiments, face their critics, and deal with their consequences.
The film reveals how Hwang went from being a simple veterinarian to a national hero and a global pioneer in stem cell research. It also shows how he became a fraud and a criminal when his claims were exposed as lies. The film explores the ethical and moral issues that surround human cloning, as well as the political and social factors that influenced Hwang’s actions. The film also follows Hwang’s aftermath, as he continues his research on animal cloning, creating clones of dogs, cats, pigs, and even mammoths. The film asks what the future of cloning holds for humanity.
The documentary also shows the public response to Hwang’s scandal, which was split and conflicted. On one hand, there were many people who backed Hwang and trusted in his original technology, even after his fraud was revealed. They staged protests, campaigns, and donations to support Hwang and his research. They blamed the media, the government, and the scientific community for being disloyal, envious, and plotting against Hwang. They also expressed their hope for healing diseases through stem cell research and their pride in Korea’s scientific accomplishments.
King of Clones is a documentary that will take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. It will make you marvel at the wonders of science and the possibilities of cloning. It will also make you angry at the lies and the corruption that tainted Hwang’s research. It will make you sad for the victims and the animals that were exploited for his experiments. It will make you hopeful for the future and the potential of stem cell research. It will make you curious about Hwang and his motivations and his regrets. It will make you think about your own views on science, ethics, and human nature.
However, the documentary is not without its flaws. The sequence of events is very confusing, as the film jumps back and forth between different time periods and locations without clear transitions. The narrative is dull and boring, and it fails to make me invested in the documentary. The original sound and the dubbing are overlapping each other, making it hard to understand what is being said. The storytelling style is also confusing, as the film mixes interviews, reenactments, animations, and archival footage without a coherent structure.
The documentary could have been more engaging and informative if it had focused more on the scientific and ethical aspects of Hwang’s research, rather than on his personal drama and scandals. It could have also used more visual aids and explanations to make the complex concepts of cloning and stem cell research more accessible to the general audience. The documentary could have also benefited from better editing and sound design to improve its clarity and flow.
King of Clones is a documentary that will shock you, intrigue you, and make you think. It is a documentary that will challenge your views on science, ethics, and human nature.
Final Score – [4/10]
Reviewed by - Arpita Mondal