Splice (2009)



Movie Title: Splice

Year Released: 2009

Rated: R

Runtime: 1h 44min

Genre: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi

Director: Vincenzo Natali

Writer: Vincenzo Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryant and Doug Taylor

Starring: Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chanéac, Brandon McGibbon, Simona Maicanescu, David Hewlett, Abigail Chu

Review: Genetic engineers Clive Nicoli (Adrien Brody) and Elsa Kast (Sarah Polley) specialize in splicing DNA from different animals which creates new hybrids for medical use. But when their funding is cut, these geneticists decide to push the boundaries of science and create something more human, and more menacing, than they ever imagined.

Splice comes from writer/director Vincenzo Natali, the man that brought us the equally entertaining sc-fi flick Cube. Where Cube was more of a mystery Splice is a provocatively psycho-sexual thriller that tackles parenting, gender, parentage, sexuality, mental illness, morality, and the horrors of misguided curiosity and ambition.

Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley are perfectly cast as a pair of hot shot geneticists, who are also a couple, and make the decision to create a life through scientific means rather than the old fashioned way. That life is Dren (Delphine Chanéac). Dren is a wonderfully tragic character that has many roles. She's a child, an adult, an experiment, a pet, and even a threat. And as the story develops we learn quite a bit about our three leads and their baggage. As things progress you'll start to wonder who's more scared?, who's more disturbed?, and, certainly, who's more dangerous?

This is a darkly moody movie that is creepy, engrossing and most definitely scary. It's more of a psychological thriller, with a heavy sci-fi/horror setting, and plenty of body horror and incestuous elements to make you squirm in your seat. So if you'd like to see a way creepier version of Frankenstein with elements from The Shape of Water sprinkled in, then Splice might just be what the doctor ordered.

Stars (out of 4):
       

Fun Fact: Vincenzo Natali first got the idea for the film when he saw a picture of a mouse with a human ear growing on its back.


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