Trouble, any way you 'Splice' it
Dren (Delphine Chanéac) checks out her new surroundings. (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Splice
Running time: 103 minutes
MPAA rating: R (disturbing elements including strong sexuality, nudity, sci-fi violence and profanity)
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As creature features go, "Splice" spills blood on the intelligent end of the sci-fi/horror/thriller scale.
Highbrow or not, the fear factor pegs the red into mayhem when an unauthorized experiment mixing human and animal DNA bursts out of control like Frankenstein's monster stomping through the countryside after a jolt of captured lightning.
Director/co-writer Vincenzo Natali is correct when he refers to "his baby" as a genetic Frankenstein monster movie. The question is whether or not such a thing is worth our time and money. The answer is yes, especially for those who enjoy slightly futuristic semi-possibility eeriness in the cinematic dark.
Note to unsuspecting movie-goers: Know that things are bound to get messy in any sci-fi thriller story that begins with benign blobs.
Natali, who hit with the mystery sci-fi thriller "Cube" in 1997, probably wouldn't attract lead actors like Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley if "Splice" had little to offer as a jolt to both the gut and the brain.
Genetic engineers Clive Nicole (Brody) and Elsa Kast (Polley), a couple in and out of the lab coats, are the darlings of the scientific community. And why shouldn't they be after creating the aforementioned DNA masses nicknamed Fred and Ginger.
When the public display turns into a cozy waltz, Clive and Elsa launch their own secret experiment to introduce human DNA into the mix. As we'll all find out later, though, Fred and Ginger know more than one dance.
From this aisle seat, Brody, an Academy Award winner for "The Pianist" in 2003, and Polley, a double-threat as filmmaker ("Away From Her") and actress ("My Life Without Me"), don't spark a great deal of on-screen chemistry.
The story is so compelling, though, and oftentimes oddly goofy that it's no use fighting it when the creature Dren is "born" and begins to draw us into one of the creepiest creature-features in years.
Brody, of course, has taken on monsters with some degree of intelligence before. He had a go with the big gorilla in the remake of "King Kong" in 2005. As I recall, though, Brody's character was never approached romantically by the creature in that one.
"Splice" is more sophisticated in visual effects than you might expect from an indie picked up by a major movie studio (Warner Bros.). Natali continues to impress as a filmmaker of the macabre. The creature, which quickly matures from a gnarly glob to semi-sensual teen, then adult, is full of mutating surprises.
Without giving too much away, let's just say that Dren, portrayed in adult form by budding French actress Delphine Chanéac ("The Pink Panther" remake), is one wild mutating mama.
And that's barely the half of it.
Highbrow or not, the fear factor pegs the red into mayhem when an unauthorized experiment mixing human and animal DNA bursts out of control like Frankenstein's monster stomping through the countryside after a jolt of captured lightning.
Director/co-writer Vincenzo Natali is correct when he refers to "his baby" as a genetic Frankenstein monster movie. The question is whether or not such a thing is worth our time and money. The answer is yes, especially for those who enjoy slightly futuristic semi-possibility eeriness in the cinematic dark.
Note to unsuspecting movie-goers: Know that things are bound to get messy in any sci-fi thriller story that begins with benign blobs.
Natali, who hit with the mystery sci-fi thriller "Cube" in 1997, probably wouldn't attract lead actors like Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley if "Splice" had little to offer as a jolt to both the gut and the brain.
Genetic engineers Clive Nicole (Brody) and Elsa Kast (Polley), a couple in and out of the lab coats, are the darlings of the scientific community. And why shouldn't they be after creating the aforementioned DNA masses nicknamed Fred and Ginger.
When the public display turns into a cozy waltz, Clive and Elsa launch their own secret experiment to introduce human DNA into the mix. As we'll all find out later, though, Fred and Ginger know more than one dance.
From this aisle seat, Brody, an Academy Award winner for "The Pianist" in 2003, and Polley, a double-threat as filmmaker ("Away From Her") and actress ("My Life Without Me"), don't spark a great deal of on-screen chemistry.
The story is so compelling, though, and oftentimes oddly goofy that it's no use fighting it when the creature Dren is "born" and begins to draw us into one of the creepiest creature-features in years.
Brody, of course, has taken on monsters with some degree of intelligence before. He had a go with the big gorilla in the remake of "King Kong" in 2005. As I recall, though, Brody's character was never approached romantically by the creature in that one.
"Splice" is more sophisticated in visual effects than you might expect from an indie picked up by a major movie studio (Warner Bros.). Natali continues to impress as a filmmaker of the macabre. The creature, which quickly matures from a gnarly glob to semi-sensual teen, then adult, is full of mutating surprises.
Without giving too much away, let's just say that Dren, portrayed in adult form by budding French actress Delphine Chanéac ("The Pink Panther" remake), is one wild mutating mama.
And that's barely the half of it.
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