The 6th Day is an Arnold Schwarzenegger science-fiction thriller.

That means there are big explosions, big chases, big escapes, big special-effects and big laughs.

It is a formula that turned Schwarzenegger into one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood. But formulas eventually get tiresome and stale because they offer few surprises.

The first 40 minutes of The 6th Day give some indication of what Cormac and Marianne Wibberley's screenplay was like before Schwarzenegger muscled his way into the project. Set somewhere in the near future, it's the taut and intriguing story of Adam Gibson (Schwarzenegger), a daredevil helicopter pilot and devoted family man.

The movie opens on Adam's birthday.

His wife Natalie (Wendy Crewson) is planning a surprise birthday bash, so she's asked Adam's partner Hank (Michael Rapaport) to keep her husband at a bar for an hour after work so the guests can arrive.

Of course, Adam knows what's going on, but he's the kind of guy who's willing to play along.

It's supposed to be a slow day on the job, with just a party of heli-skiers going to a mountain top.

At the last minute, billionaire Michael Drucker (Tony Goldwyn) books a helicopter ride.

Adam is supposed to take the controls, but Hank steps in so Adam won't miss his birthday.

It's a harmless substitution that triggers a complex series of events, including the secret cloning of Adam. Adam arrives home for his birthday only to discover his clone being honoured and Drucker's cloned goons waiting to dispatch him.

The chase is on. The escapes are on. The explosions are on. The rescues are on.

But so are the corny asides that have become Schwarzenegger's stock in trade.

Each time he throws in one of his zingers, Arnold takes more of the edge off this potentially gripping thriller. Arnold and director Roger Spottiswoode are so intent on making this a fun and funny thriller, they even turn the villains into clowns.

It's impossible to become involved in Adam's dilemma when there really isn't one.

No matter what dastardly deeds the mad billionaire or his army of comic goons can come up with, they're no match for the superhuman, super-cool Arnold and his equally strong, big-hearted, witty double.

For a while, The 6th Day promises to be a gripping, insightful fantasy adventure about an ordinary man betrayed and trapped by the evils of science.

What The 6th Day ultimately becomes is an adrenaline-pumping, wild circus ride.

It's just what the old Arnold fans once loved and demanded.

Maybe it's what they still want.

Arnold is certainly banking on it.

(This film is rated AA)

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