If you were to go by the trailers for “Splice” you would assume that the movie would be a Sci-Fi/Horror blend. Something on the lines of films like “Species” or “Aliens”. You would not expect that this film would be more about moral & ethical boundaries and how far should we go in the name of science , also teaching someone/something the difference between right and wrong. In my mind, those happen to be the key elements of “Splice” and the film wound up being a very welcome surprise.
Clive Nicoli (Adrian Brody) and Elsa Kast (Sarah Polley) are 2 young scientists who work at trying to create cures for cancer and other ailments by splicing together different animal DNA. When Clive & Elsa are threatened with the news that they are going to lose their lab, Elsa manipulates Clive into going through with splicing human DNA with that of an animal. Clive knows this is a bad idea, yet he lets Elsa talk him into it. In a matter of weeks their creation is here and she is aging at a rapid rate. Even though Clive sees this as only an experiment, Elsa bonds with the young female and even names her Dren (Nerd backwards).
The full grown Dren is played by Delphnie Chanéac and she is really amazing, giving this creation some real heart without speaking a single word. The effect use to create Dren is basically a real actress with some CGI enhancements, and even though it does come off as looking a little to fake at times, especially with the effects used to create her legs. I still think it is very effective.
As it becomes harder to keep Dren a secret in the lab, they decide to move her to an old abandoned farm house that was left to Elsa by her family. Dren is not happy about being locked up in a barn and kept out of the world, and she tends to show her resentment at times. Elsa begins to get frustrated with Dren, but at the same time Clive begins to bond with her and care for her. Dren’s human nature makes her just want to be loved and understood. But her animal instincts blended with her human emotions make her very dangerous, especially when she has a venomous stinger at the end of her tail.
Of course the final act of the film takes you right where you expected it would, but the journey taken to that final act makes the film well worth seeing. The whole idea of the risks you are taking when you try to create a new species (no matter what the reason is) is very interesting. You have no real idea of what will be the outcome. And the moral questions become harder to answer if you are not a religious person.
“Splice” does not become too preachy and there is still quite a bit of fun to be had while watching the film, but it will have you come away with some interesting thoughts and feelings.
By Marc Ferman
