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Starring |
Adrien Brody
,
Sarah Polley
,
Delphine Chaneac
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Directed By |
Vincenzo Natali
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Audio
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Dolby Digital 5.1
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Visuals
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16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen
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Running Time |
104 mins
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UK Release Date |
November 29, 2010
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Genre |
Horror
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Our Rating |
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User Rating |
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Clive (Brody) and Elsa (Polley) are two brilliant but renegade scientists on the brink of making it big when they finally manage to engineer a new breed of cross-species. Forced to keep their highly controversial experiment under wraps, Clive and Elsa dare to introduce human DNA to their cross-species specimen. With their human/animal hybrid (named ‘Dren’) rapidly maturing into adulthood just one month after her birth, Clive and Elsa’s accidental ‘daughter’ begins to put some serious doubts into the heads of her creators.
Director Vincenzo Natali has been knocking out smart sci-fi for years now, with his ‘thinking man’s’ sci-fi gem, Cube (1997), suggesting a bright future for the former storyboard artist. Yet despite the brain-busting intricacies of Cube, the entertaining sci-fi thriller, Cypher (AKA Brainstorm, 2003), and the intriguing comedy/sci-fi, Nothing (2003), Vincenzo still hasn’t managed to make it big. While Splice initially looked to change all this with its big name cast and Species-style premise, the weird and sometimes wonderful movie lacks the broad appeal to guarantee automatic entry into the world of the mainstream.
Channelling Cronenberg with its visuals and its sordid tale of an unconventional family unit facing all manner of ethical and moral conundrums, Splice works far better as an ideas movie; a small smart and occasionally disturbing sci-fi that could well achieve cult status much like Natali’s debut. Unfortunately, the final act feels like a cop-out, hurriedly diverting into thriller/horror territory with a monster versus man climax. Uneven it may be, but with some wonderful creature design and special effects on display and a memorable and fully realised character in Dren, Splice is a suitably small, strange and sometimes scintillating alternative to the likes of the mammoth Avatar.
The special features include the usual suspects, including some behind the scenes footage and an interview with the director.
Special Features:
Interview with the Director
‘A Director’s Playground’ Featurette
‘Behind the Scenes’ Featurette
Trailer
Reviewer: Lee Griffiths
