Splice won the award for best special effects at the 2009 SITGES festival. A well deserved award, because the best of the film, is the creature, product of a genetic experiment, which is horrible when it makes the first appearance, but then transforms into a beautiful monster.
A couple of scientists, Elsa and Clive, specialists in genetics, work for a company that wants to take economic advantage of the advances in their experiments, where they create new genetically altered species. They want to take a step forward, and use human DNA, although the company tells them no. They don't listen. Elsa uses her own DNA, creating a new creature, with some human traits. The monster evolves and grows quickly, in a few weeks it's big. They keep her hidden in the lab, but before she is discovered they have to move her to another place. Conflicts in the relationship will make Dren (the creature) a threat.
The production had a modest budget, approximately 30 million dollars, which they used mostly for special effects, so you see few locations (lab, farm, house of the main characters, company offices). But the scenes where special effects are needed make up for everything else.
There are a couple of scenes that I liked very much. The first one is when the character Elsa, ties up Dren ( the creature ) on a table at the farm, to cut off his sting, after the creature kills the cat and attacks her. The other scene, is with Dren, having sexual relations with the character Clive. The moment when the creature spreads its wings is beautiful. Yes! I thought it was a beautiful scene.
Of course it's also quite twisted...
The story contains several twists and turns, which is the charm of the film and the reason why it seems like a good science fiction film, with a dose of horror and a monster that looks like a top model. That's why Clive couldn't resist the temptation.
Director Vicenzo Natali, who rose to fame with the cult film "The Cube", managed to make a film with a creature, focused on the relationship with the creators, the discovery of a new world. Inspired by the story of Frankenstein. Therefore, the names of the two main characters, were taken from old films of Frankenstein, as I read long ago in an article.
One of the producers of the film, is Guillermo del Toro, who surely was involved in the design of the creatures that appear in the film, is something that shows. Years later, he would make The Water Form, which won the Oscar, as best film.
The almost human creature is attractive. Although, at first it looks like a rabbit face (or rat), with two legs and a tail, it quickly grows and takes on a more human form. In the end the human DNA (Elsa's) is stronger, making it a very sexy monster.
The creature is played by a model and actress named Delphine Chanéac, this being the most important role in her career. The last few years she seems to be away from cinema, but she had some work in European films and in French TV series.
Elsa and Clive are played by Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody. She hasn't been seen since, her last major work, in a film directed by herself in 2012. Brody is well known to us, Oscar winner for the film The Pianist. The trio of protagonists do well, especially the two actresses. I liked Elsa's evolution, going from being a loving mother to treating her in a very cruel way.
The story is good, it went a little unnoticed by the big audience. But with the budget they had, I think the film is good. Among the negative details, is that the scientists who appear in the film, seem like university students, detracting from the credibility of the scenes in the laboratory.
Recommended to see it on a Sunday afternoon.
My Rankin: 3.2/5
Trailer
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