Splice

directed by: Vincenzo natali

release date: 2010

The whole time while watching this movie I kept thinking, “I want to watch The Fly with Jeff Goldblum because it’s way more engaging than this drivel!”
Premise of the movie is simple: scientific experiment gone bad – but not necessarily Frankenstein bad just bad in affecting everyone around it bad. This is only generalizing because I wouldn’t want to ruin the movie for those interested in watching.
Albeit glowing reviews from both Metacritic.com and Rotten Tomatoes, I failed to see the greatness in the film that I saw.
Every time the tone of the movie changed every half hour, I kept wondering, “Where is this going?” And guess what? It went nowhere I cared about! By the end of the movie, I was upset I spent this much time on a picture that tried so hard to be something and is already forgettable as I write this review.

Let’s talk performances, shall we? I appreciate and enjoy both Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley’s performances but in this movie, they were annoying. But that was probably because the movie was pissing me off. I didn’t believe their chemistry as a couple for one second. However, they did a good job of showing signs of unraveling early on. A seed was planted that slowly grew with the experiment. Which brings me to the story.
This experiment gone awry affects this couple in a predictable way, and in another unexpected way. I wondered why a certain incident occurred in the first place. There were too many wonky moments in this movie that had me questioning the intent of the story. The end is ambiguous which doesn’t make the film intelligent, novel, or even intriguing. That ending is supposed to be thought-provoking? Seriously? The thematic elements involving family, science, and morality in this pseudo-horror film sound great, don’t they? In this movie, those themes were handled haphazardly. The sorta psychological perspective did not work – it fell flat.
This filmmaker,Vincenzo Natali, is better known for the widely praised Cube in horror/sci-fi circles. As a horror and science fiction fan, I am ashamed to say I have not seen this movie but am familiar with the many sequels to said picture in the past years. Not being familiar with his work, I wonder if his eccentric storylines are his shtick and if they’ve worked. Because in this movie, too many things were happening that exploded and never recovered without definitive explanation or enough exposition.
Last thing before I close – I’m aware that known actors can sell movies and help in the production of films. What’s irritating is how a movie like this would never be made with unknown actors. But because the director specifically wanted Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody, the film was made. This is what I cannot stand about Hollywood. If the screenplay is great, unknown actors can sell the crap out of any movie when made. If the screenplay is bad, it doesn’t matter who’s in the movie, it’s still going to be bad!
In closing, watch this film at your own risk. If seeking a movie that’s novel and fresh that upon completion stays with you, this movie will not deliver. If seeking a super duper eccentric movie that’s trying so hard to be different, give the picture a look-see.