Splice

2009

Action / Drama / Horror / Sci-Fi

79
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 37% · 199 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 37% · 250K ratings
IMDb Rating 5.8/10 10 106001 106K

experiment genetics dna gene manipulation genetic engineering disturbed

Plot summary

Elsa and Clive, two young rebellious scientists, defy legal and ethical boundaries and forge ahead with a dangerous experiment: splicing together human and animal DNA to create a new organism. Named "Dren", the creature rapidly develops from a deformed female infant into a beautiful but dangerous winged human-chimera, who forges a bond with both of her creators - only to have that bond turn deadly.

Director

Vincenzo Natali Photo
Vincenzo Natali

Top cast

Adrien Brody Photo
Adrien Brody as Clive Nicoli
David Hewlett Photo
David Hewlett as William Barlow
Brandon McGibbon Photo
Brandon McGibbon as Gavin Nicoli
Sarah Polley Photo
Sarah Polley as Elsa Kast
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
700.81 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 44 min
Seeds 7
1.40 GB
1920*1080
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 44 min
Seeds 29

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by foxtografo 7 / 10

Technically good movie, but awkward story and unlikable characters

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.
Reviewed by Jonny_Numb 7 / 10

The Horrors of Parenting

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
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