It Blinded Me With Science

A few weeks ago, I actually saw the film Splice. It's not a movie I would typically see, but I had a friend who was excited about it and I decided to be a good friend and tag along. Since this is already quickly vanishing from theaters, I figured I better hurry up and do a review for this.

Adrian Brody and Sarah Polley star as a couple of scientists (and lovers), who, in response to their funding being cut, decide to attempt to develop a creature that has a Heinz 57 mix of DNA, including some from humans. Their experiment leads to the creation of Dren (that's 'nerd' backwards) an awkward creature that the couple decides to secretly tend after since they can't make their discovery public. The commercials for this film mislead you to believe it is a standard creature feature where the experiment would begin terrorizing everything in sight until it can finally be killed.

Instead, the film becomes a psychological exploration into the two lead characters and how their history has an impact on the way they attempt to domesticate this creature. As we learn more about these two, we begin to see Dren as more human than either one of them. This results in seeing both lead characters display some odd and, at times, uncomfortable actions and interactions with Dren. All of this may not appeal to mass audiences, but it certainly is thought-provoking. So much so, that I was actually appreciating the film for its unconventional approach to familiar material.

Unfortunately, things go awry in the film's final act where the film seemingly works itself into a corner that it can't escape. As Dren grows, it develops new abilities and the film begins to take on more of that creature feature film. With only a few human characters introduced throughout the film, the impact of Dren's terror is obvious and uninteresting. The film then takes a really wild turn with its final twist that comes off as hokey and insulting rather than the poignancy that they were hoping for. This last part of the movie really ruins what had been a solid thriller.

The film's overall premise is too strange for me to give a general recommendation, even if the climax had been stronger. However, it does provide a number of watercooler moments that make it a film worth talking about afterwards if you're one who is inclined to see it. Since the film basically bombed in theaters, if you have any interest in seeing it, wait for it to come out on DVD. However, most people can skip this odd film experiment that went horribly wrong. Grade: B-