Plot: What’s it about?
I suppose it’s human nature to be interested in a science fiction movie. This genre allows us to experience things that we’re likely not able to do ourselves though with some of the inventions we have these days, that might not ring true. However when we deal with a new life form, as in “Splice”, it can be utterly fascinating. Or it can be a waste of time. “Splice” is a bit of both. Ever since Steven Spielberg introduced us to “E.T.” nearly 30 years ago, the “likeable and loveable” alien has been a staple of several films. Yes, not all aliens are green and from Mars and want to blow up the earth. Director and writer Vincenzo Natali made a name for himself back in the late 90’s with a movie called “Cube”, a much better and far more interesting film than his latest effort. Still, there are elements of “Splice” that are somewhat fascinating. The two leads, Sarah Polley and Academy Award Winner Adrien Brody do a fine job with the material they have, but ultimately things don’t seem to work out.
“Splice” centers around two scientists, Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) who are partners in a research project and also happen to be dating. Their latest experiment combines the DNA of several animals in an effort to produce a new species (or at least I think so, this wasn’t explained that well in the film). The experiment is a bit of a failure and the project is in danger of being closed down. Rebellious as they are, Clive and Elsa make their own experiment by injecting a bit of human DNA into the mix and, wouldn’t you know it, the experiment works. As fate would have it, the creature grows at an astonishing rate and what originally looks like a cute version of the alien from “Alien” ends up looking like a supermodel (albeit with a stinger for a tail). Clive and Elsa hide their “offspring” from everyone and they cleverly call it “Dren” which is cleverly “Nerd” spelled backwards. Dren (Delphine Chan?ac) also has an affection for Clive and one that might be a point of concern for some audience members. This begs the question…will Dren be able to save the careers of Clive and Elsa or will nature take its course and set them up for an ultimate fail?
As I mentioned before, “Splice” is an interesting premise for a movie but the movie itself isn’t that interesting. I think the filmmakers got a little carried away with Dren and instead of concentrating on the development there, rushed the character into the adult stage. Now I’m going to tread carefully here and this is just my opinion (then again, it’s my review so I suppose the entire thing is my opinion) but the film does deal with incest. You see Dren is considered to be the “daughter” of Clive and Elsa. I won’t go into details here, but let’s just say that there is sex and it’s not just between Clive and Elsa. I’m not really sure I agree with this angle of the story or what purpose it served, but it’s there nonetheless. You’ve been warned. Bottom line, if you want to see a more intriguing movie by the same director go check out “Cube” instead. It’s somewhat disturbing in its own right, but you’ll use your brain more. As it stands, “Splice” will likely gather dust on my shelf from this point forward.
Video: How does it look?
Nearly every movie these days is filmed in a wider 2.40:1 aspect ratio but “Splice” actually fills up the entire 16:9 screen. This 1.85:1 VC-1 HD transfer looks good, though a few scenes have a plethora of grain and the entire spectrum of the film is on the dingy side. Most of the film takes place indoors and as such, we don’t get a lot of range in regards to color. Dark greys and earthy tones tend to dominate, even in the somewhat sterile atmosphere of a science lab. Flesh tones look a bit on the washed out side and it appears that Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody aren’t wearing hardly any (if any) makeup for their roles here. Detail is fairly good, we get a feel for this when looking at the Dren character and contrast is right on the money. This was a pretty low-budget film and this transfer somewhat reflects that.
Audio: How does it sound?
The DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack isn’t anything to write home about either. Dialogue is a bit on the weaker side and maybe it’s just me, but Adrien Brody really seems to mumble a lot in this film. Other than that, dialogue is very strong and well-centered. There are a few ambient effects sparsely throughout the film but they do tend to do the job. There’s not much in regards to the soundtrack but Cyrille Aufort’s score has its moments. This is a pretty straight-forward mix that didn’t really leave a lasting impression on me.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The only extra is a featurette “The Making of ?Splice'” which runs about 35 minutes and is more of a documentary with interviews with the cast and crew. The disc is also BD Live enabled.
