Splice

"Clive" (Adrien Brody) and "Elsa" (Sarah Polley) are a couple of genetic engineers charged by David Hewlett's "Barlow" with discovering an important gene that could lead to huge advances in medical science. Using a mix of human and animal DNA that have varying degrees of success before the evolution of a creature "Dren" (Delphine Chanéac) that develops more human attributes - as well as a tail with a stinger and the ability to grow wings. As we progress through this frankly rather disturbing story, we discover that "Elsa" quite literally has skin in the game as they must both seek to protect their creation from not just their employers but from her increasingly violent and lustful tendencies. I was quite interested in the underlying premise but the execution here is really poor. I never did really get why Brody was ever successful in the first place and here there is no chemistry between him and Polley; the storyline which could have been challenging and thought-provoking instead borders on the absurdly far-fetched and the ending couldn't really come quick enough as we really do struggle to reach any sort of a satisfactory conclusion - either from a personal or a scientific perspective. It does highlight the dangers of unfettered scientific experimentation but sadly in no more an entertaining fashion that we have seen many times before - more enjoyably - from Hammer Studios!

2008