Twins (1988): A Genetically Engineered Allegory?
Okay, so I've been rewatching "Twins" (again...don't judge), and something keeps nagging at me beyond the obvious comedic elements. We all know the basic premise: Schwarzenegger and DeVito are these genetically engineered twins, separated at birth, blah, blah, blah. But what if it's actually a really weird, almost accidental, allegory for the nature vs. nurture debate taken to an absurd extreme? Hear me out. Julius, the 'perfect' twin, raised in isolation, is physically superior but utterly clueless about the real world. It's like they grew the perfect athlete, but forgot to install any social skills. Then you have Vincent, the 'imperfect' twin, raised in the school of hard knocks – street smart, a low-level hustler, and essentially the opposite of Julius in every way except genetics. The film presents these two as opposing forces, and their journey is all about them learning from each other, right? But what if it's actually a commentary on how environment can completely override genetic potential? Vincent, despite having presumably the same genetic makeup as Julius, is defined by his upbringing. It's like, even though they're technically the same 'blueprint,' the 'software' running on them is completely different. Think about the scene where Julius is trying to 'help' Vincent run his hustle, and utterly fails because he's too honest and naive. Or later when Vincent tries to teach Julius how to 'con' someone, and Julius's inherent goodness shines through. The movie keeps hammering that message home. I mean, it's wrapped in a goofy buddy comedy shell, but the core concept is surprisingly thought-provoking. I'm not saying it's some profound artistic statement, but I think someone, somewhere on the production team, understood the underlying thematic potential. Plus, the whole experiment itself is a commentary on societal obsession with perfection, which is still super relevant today, wouldn't you say? Am I the only who sees this or am I overthinking it? One more thing, if the experiment was to produce the perfect child, and the result was two children, isn't that technically a failure? Just a thought... I know DeVito wasn't planned but the point remains lol.
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