Reel Review : Splice

PLOT: Two scientists (Adrien Brody & Sarah Polley) splice animal & human DNA to create a hybrid being- the initially passive Dren (Delphine Chaneac). As Dren begins to learn and grow at an accelerated rate, the animal/human hybrid begins to display more aggressive behavior, becoming a nightmare for both the scientists, and anyone unfortunate enough to cross paths with the dangerous creature.


*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Splice really seemed liked it would be a sleeper hit. The sci-fi horror film has an incredible cast, it's produced by Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro, and early reviews were extremely positive. The insinuated enjoyment factor and entertainment value for the film were already expected to be fairly high considering the people involved and critical response. Let's just say the film is probably a bit more eccentric than you may be expecting.

Right off the bat, you'll notice the similarities between Splice and Species since they both deal with a female creature that is a result of the splicing of human DNA with something inhuman. Trying to keep this creature in a contained environment cut off from the rest of the world is really only the first half of the film. The second half is pretty unfamiliar territory.

Not many films (or any really) have been able to leave me speechless after viewing them. Splice came pretty close. The film leaves you with this inconclusive sense of indecisiveness. The story piques your interest and is able to hold onto it throughout the duration of the film while the main cast gives nothing but strong performances, but the film's content in the latter half is what will make or break your opinion of it. Obviously I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but let's just say you'll never look at Adrien Brody the same way again after seeing him in this.

Splice's strongest assets are the the fact that it's fairly unpredictable and incredibly intriguing. Once it takes that left turn at Albuquerque, its ending is a bit predictable (and open-ended). The human interaction with the CG version of Dren when she first hatches is pretty impressive though. You may be able to tell that baby Dren is CG, but the performances from Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley make it believable. Be sure to see this in the theater, as well. The reaction this film gets from a packed movie theater audience is priceless. As a last word of advice, don't expect a bloodbath. There's one bloody scene in the whole film. The rest is pretty tame when it comes to gore. Whether you like it or hate it, most can probably agree that Splice is the most unusual horror film of 2010.

B +