Splice

James Whale's 1931 adaptation of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" was one of the earliest films to chronicle man's quest (via science and nature, and in notably strict defiance of God) to literally create life by transgressing human reproduction; granted, the result was the hideous, hulking visage of Boris Karloff, but one couldn't help but be in awe of the sheer gumption of Victor Frankenstein and his accomplices. Roman Polanski evolved this idea (via adaptation of Ira Levin's novel) in "Rosemary's Baby," which took the notion of creating something truly awful (the son of Satan) and using it as a metaphor for a woman's self-destruction and paranoia during pregnancy. Larry Cohen's "It's Alive" took contemporary paranoias of a carcinogen-engulfed atmosphere and nuclear proliferation and applied it to his own murderous, bloodthirsty infant. And rounding out this prolific bunch is David Lynch's "Eraserhead," a hauntingly surreal horror film that not only presents parenthood with fearful uncertainty, but treats acts of sexuality and procreation with a metaphorically clinical (but never explicit) disgust.

Vincenzo Natali's "Splice" falls somewhere within this noteworthy pantheon of mad science, moral/ethical conundrums, and icky special effects. Many have already drawn comparisons (both positive and negative) to the early, mutation-informed works of Canadian auteur David Cronenberg, but Natali is just as interested in exploring the questions under the surface as he is showing an astutely creative visual eye. For a while, the film plays like something closer to an art-house feature (especially given the presence of character actors like Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley) with intriguing ideas and a solid FX budget. There are missteps along the way, but for the most part, this is a solid little sleeper.

Clive (Brody) and Elsa (Polley) are young scientists who have made a breakthrough in artificial life: two blob-like creatures (one male, one female) with the ability to manufacture an artificial protein for the purpose of nourishing livestock. In typical, business-first fashion, their corporate overlords marvel at the notion of mass-manufacturing it, and promptly reject Elsa's proposition of human experimentation (to cure genetic disorders). Driven by curiosity, the duo wind up creating Dren (Delphine Chaneac), a creature whose accelerated life cycle prompts the creepily maternal Elsa to keep her as part of a more personal "experiment." "Splice" contains subtle, well-played allusions to bad childhoods, long-term psychoses, and the shifting roles of parents in the eyes of children (Clive starts off as vehemently oppositional; later, he becomes a reluctant accomplice who ultimately develops a bizarre affection for the creation), not to mention the tension between parents amid the child-rearing process; watching this trio interact supplies most of the film's compelling, hypnotic moments. This deliberate pace and focus on character may prove off-putting to horror fans sold on the ADHD weirdness of the trailer, but those with open minds will find much to gorge themselves on.

Despite all the admirably creative spins on familiar concepts, Natali (or perhaps the producers, action aficionado Joel Silver being one) run out of fresh material by the climax, which takes chase clichés and overdone monster effects down a road that exists solely to patch up some character arcs and drum up excitement in a blandly conventional way. That being said, the first 3/4 of "Splice" is such a surprisingly effective slow burn of suspense and dread (culled from universal hopes and fears), played out by actors who know the fine line between camp and creep, that its later machinations are pretty easy to forgive.

6.5 out of 10

The cinematography is good, the CGI is good enough to believe in the story, the acting is also good.

But in the end, I didn't like much the story. Simple as that. Is not that the characters make stupid decisions, like I've read in other reviews, the characters make cense, but I just didn't like them and didn't care about them.

It's definitely not a bad movie.

Splice centres on two renowned young scientists (Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley) that are quasi-famous for successfully creating a new species of animal, a species with enormous pharmaceutical industry potential in the form of an ability to secrete profitable proteins. Despite a refusal by their company bosses to approve the next stage of the project, or anything that tampers with human DNA, their ambitions lead them to create a human-animal hybrid by combining human genes with those of the created species. This in turn leads to the creation of a new entity they name Dren, which they raise and attempt to study as a personal project concealed from their employers and colleagues.

The story becomes highly engrossing as we follow the creature's development alongside that of the two scientists, who are in a relationship that becomes increasingly strained by a series of ethical and logistical dilemmas. The two central performances are well-judged, but the real star is Dren; or the CGI responsible for her creation, which is always convincing and solid at all stages of the creature's evolution. Vincenzo Natali's visually intense direction is also worth mentioning, and he clearly enjoys playing with a generous budget as compared with his previous features like Cube.

This is, however, no modern masterpiece – the plot becomes predictable and contrived in the final third, the minor characters are little more than stereotypes (lax young brother, venal bosses) and the comedic elements of the film don't always sit comfortably with the horror aspects (there is, however, a notable exception in a hilarious scene towards the end). But these drawbacks are outweighed by the plus points, which makes Splice an enjoyable experience overall.

Three fourths of these reviews hate the movie and whine about the idiot decisions of the scientists. Well of COURSE they made idiotic decisions! Where's the film if they made perfectly sane decisions? What kind of film is that?

I actually thought the film was effing brilliant. I think it took a familiar premise and retooled it. The performances of Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley were exemplary, as always. I saw it for Sarah Polley as she is one of my favorite actors and one of the most underrated ones out there today. The actress that played Dren was also strong and had the perfect mix of human, alien, and innocence.

The film addresses many scientific issues, but does so with a moral and emotional center. I like that the film doesn't pull punches and I like that there are consequences for the actions of the scientists. I thought the complex relationship of the couple and their creation was skillfully rendered and and excellently acted.

Was it flawed? Sure. But it was also really kick ass and I'd see it again in a heartbeat.

If you want your horror sci-fi movies neat and tidy and pedestrian this probably isn't for you.

Okay, this was a movie that took me by surprise. I hadn't even heard of it, and just came across it by sheer random luck.

The story and plot is simply genius, and this is something that should have been put to the screen a long, long time ago. For this movie, sort of think in the terms of mixing "The Fly" and "Species" together, and throw in some extra spices. It was a super nice storyline, but I would have liked to see more about the morals and ethical dilemmas raised by gene manipulation, splicing and genetic research. The movie just brushed easily over this and paid it little heed. That was a shame.

As for the acting and cast, well I would say that the little cast that the movie was centered about really carried their roles and characters well and made the movie believable and interesting to watch. And the creature, Dren, was really portrayed so well, that you started to feel for her and become attached to her.

The creature design was phenomenal and very nicely detailed, as always when Nicotero is involved with something. From the very first moment you saw the creature and up until the very end, it was all cool and nice to look at. However, the wings were a tad too much for my liking. But it worked well enough to show the different aspects of mixing genetics from various species.

The last 15 minutes of the movie, however, were painful to get through. The story totally collapsed here and it would have served the movie so much better had they decided to do something else. It was a bit too sassy and too far out there. And the ending, well you saw that coming a mile away. I would have rated the movie higher, had it not been for the last 15 minutes and the typical Hollywood ending.

But overall, this movie is definitely one you should sit down and watch. It is a unique story and filled with nice effects and details. There is a constant flow to the story, so you are never left bored. And there are a bunch of thrills throughout the movie as well. So watch this movie, you won't be disappointed.