Splice Reviews

Vincenzo Natali was already of renown for his unique, contemplative brand of sci-fi infused concepts when he gave us "Splice" which spiced up its cautionary tale of science gone wrong with a dash of melancholic horror and, surprisingly, family drama. It is only appropriate that Guillermo Del Toro is counted among its production team as the film treads in territory familiar to his viewers with its humanized monsters and emotionally and psychologically dense characters.

Indeed, "Splice", at its core, is basically a retelling of the Frankenstein story which, in turn, is the story of scientific responsibility and impact of the role of a creator in the life of their creation. Clive and Elsa are genetic science wunderkinds, and lovers, that create morally and ethically questionable life in the face of opposition. On the surface this seems merely for the sake of proving their mettle in the field, if not outright egoism, but as the film progresses the layers of reasoning unravel even as the relationship to their creation deepens in complexity.

As with Frankenstein, the creature in "Splice" is a nuanced being whose psychological makeup is molded by the reactions and personalities of its creators. The script does a fine job of drawing parallels in its development to the growing pains of an actual child and the hairpin turns in the interpersonal relationships between parents and children that only serve to underline the creator's inherent innocence, despite its outward or natural monstrous nature. Therein lies the utmost strength of the film, that it serves as a striking parable about the importance of selfless parental involvement in the life of a child. Indeed, the most horrifying portions of the film lie not in the hands of the monster but the choices made by its unworthy creators in all their

Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley are both charming and detestable as Clive and Elsa, who though relatable are tainted by their hubris, past, and flaws. The more we know them, the less we empathize and, ironically, the more a cruel mirror of ourselves is held up to our face. We are them, daily failing to shake the shackles of our own upbringing and yet thrust into the role of leaders, fathers, and mothers. It is a shocking revelation presented to us under the auspices of a sci-fi horror nightmare.

The effects hold up relatively well and, even if they hadn't, the story is carried out in such a way that it would engage nevertheless. The whole affair is a bleak and somber one which is emphasized by the cinematography with its deep wells of darkness and gritty shades of green and blue to contrast stark and sterile whites, almost as if to underline the idea of science gone awry.

At times heartwarming and heartbreaking and at others chilling, cold, and cruel in its implications, "Splice" is a fantastic and underrated piece of work. A definite must see for fans of the genre and the casual viewer. I give it 9/10.

I have noticed that this movie received some rather mixed reactions and some people even really hated it. Personally, I'm a huge fan of 'Cube' (which I really need to re-watch by the way) so I was quite eager to see this following effort directed by Vincenzo Natali. Well, I thought it was pretty good. Apparently, Natali wanted to make this movie right after 'Cube' but he thought that the technology was not ready yet and I think he made the right decision as the whole thing looked pretty impressive. Futhermore, Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley were very well cast and they both delivered some solid performances. Finally, the thing I enjoyed the most was how they perfectly mixed several genres like SF, horror, thriller and even some dark comedy and it actually worked very well, most of the time. Unfortunately, it was still missing something to become truly remarkable. Indeed, the whole concept was really intriguing and rather well developed but, very soon, I was wondering what they were getting at and that was the problem, nowhere specifically. Basically, they created this impressive being but this movie didn't have much less to offer which was a little bit disappointing. The underwhelming violent ending is another example of how clueless they seemed to be about dealing with this creature. Still, in spite of its flaws, it thought it was a decent flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

"Splice" (2009):The Creator has a Master Plan?....Hmmm -not this one-I hope--- YIKES
by Jeffery Massey on Tuesday, July 5, 2011 at 6:59pm

Just finished watching...Absolutely creepy flick & it made my skin crawl...Horror/Science fiction in the best tradition...Still shaking my head at the presentation of this concept...CHILLINGLY disgusting on a visceral level. Deeply disturbing treatment of human experimentation & scientific investigator's bias in an ethical examination genetic's industry research...Think of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation from the ALIEN film dynasty.

Watching this movie, I felt somehow compelled to see it through the scifi-aficionado lens of Mary Shelley's infamous mad-scientist i.e. God-Complex from "Frankenstein." yet, one must remember that Splice had
a very dominant sexual tension with highly Freudian themes involved. In many ways the film addressed Greek tragedy i.e.Oedipal Complex, Shakespearean themes including death of parents at the hands of offspring for supremacy of the bloodline/species. As well, there the Ridley Scott "Alien" meta theme regarding the sexuality of consuming & becoming consumed during the act of creation...e.g. Alien Chest-burster, Face-Hugger of Geiger's design, original Alien ship as female orifice being violated, etc.



Even the theme of human-bestiality e.g. Beauty & the Beast is prevalent. Whew, this movie tackled a lot of ground & that may have been its only downfall; as it often superficially delved into scientific. moral, ethical & socio-philosophical questions raised by
such a profound topic. Good try anyway....Thumbs up & would love to see a decent sequel...