RyothChatty ridiculous rating

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The Movie Diorama DNA splicing is a hot topic, taking characteristics from other organisms to create an entirely new one that theoretically should be superior. That's all well and good, but when that concept is executed to such mediocrity you can't help but feel underwhelmed. In Splice, two scientists take it upon themselves to splice human DNA into an artificial organism, as an experiment. The company they work for strictly prohibited this, and so they must monitor the experiment in secret. Consequently making such a creature will have disastrous outcomes right? Well, when it's in the hands of two of the most idiotic scientists in the world...yes. That's where my massive problem lies, the stupidity of certain characters and actions. You can't backup an intelligent concept, where our scientists consistently shout out random amino acids and proteins, with simple plain idiocy. Firstly following the experiment through was stupid anyway, so much so that the characters realise their mistake (in the aura of 'Frankenstein'). Torturing it to a point where they physically cause it emotional distress. Unable to keep hold of it, to which it escapes...in the woods...the outside world...the general population. It's just so stupid to a point that it becomes a detriment to the believability of the story. Which ultimately is a shame as the concept is there, all the ingredients are presented to them on a shiny plate. Just frustratingly combined together to create a sour dish. You can tell Del Toro produced this, the hint of dark fantasy and themes of motherhood and maturity are embedded within, which I appreciated. Brody and Poller make the best of a lacklustre script. The ending was...well, bold? Ummm...yeah, unusual and grotesque simultaneously. It is an engaging sci-fi thriller, but the implausibility and stupidity of certain aspects prevent this from being good. Moral of the story: Don't be a self-righteous scientist, it will be your downfall.

Jeffrey Burton This is a very well constructed Sci-Fi movie. I've read it was sold as horror and actually the horror elements sort of bog it down. What it is a study of people playing god, bad parenting, social irresponsibility and killing the things you love. Adrian Brody and Sarah Polley are both great and Delphine Chanéac is wonderful as Dren. The special effects are very good in this and Dren seems very real. You totally accept her as this quasi-human creature and feel sorry for her situation, while still being afraid of what she might do. This story could've really gone in a different direction and the ending seems forced to bring about a climax. It's a very engaging and entertaining movie as it is and well worth the view.

Coventry As hinted at via the lead characters' names (inspired by Colin CLIVE and ELSA Lanchester), "Splice" is basically just a 21st century update of the legendary "Frankenstein" tale. It's about scientists playing God and attempting to create new life without thinking about the possible consequences. The difference is of course that science and laboratories have evolved quite tremendously since Mary Shelley invented the immortal premise, and thus Boris Karloff's corpse has been replaced by microscopic bits of DNA and the resurrection process via lighting & thunderstorms has been replaced with a complicated splicing process that I don't even bother to understand. Call me old-fashioned, but this advanced and pseudo-intellectual kind of Sci-Fi is quite unappealing, pretentious and mostly boring. Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley – their mediocre performances are undoubtedly still the best thing about the whole film – form a brilliant couple of scientists specialized in DNA research. For their employer, a massive pharmaceutical company called N.E.R.D (ha ha!), they are supposed to mix and merge DNA from various animal species and create a brand new organism. They do this quite successfully; with the creation of a pair of blobby critters they name Fred and Ginger, But Elsa wants to go even further. She persuades Clive to continue their experiments and even add human DNA into the cocktail, with as result the "birth" of a humanoid that looks like a rodent with amphibious lungs and a split forehead. Dren, as they name her, rapidly grows into a curious female and it soon becomes very difficult to keep her under control and hidden for the outside world. In spite of the intellectual and relevant subject matter, "Splice" is a surprisingly dumb and highly implausible film. The first half is still absorbing and eventful, with a disastrous press conference as gory highlight, but then it suddenly turns into a stupid, tedious and inconceivable mess. I fail to believe that a vivid and boisterous creature like Dren can possibly be kept hidden in the basement of a mastodon company without being noticed, and that's just the least annoying thing of everything that doesn't make sense! The script suddenly comes up with a sub plot about Elsa's troubled childhood, but that remains vague and random. The couple also constantly changes their minds and roles. At first Clive is reluctant and wants to destroy Dren while Elsa treats her lovingly like she nurtured it in her own womb. Later on, however, it's Clive who protects Dren from Elsa who wants to kill it with a shovel. Make up your damn minds! If all this isn't laughable enough yet, Clive naturally also copulates with his hamster-faced abomination. Pretty much like Dren herself, "Splice" is quite an abomination and I can't say I'm too surprised because even his more acclaimed movies "Cube" and "Cypher" were terribly overrated.

bowmanblue I've just watched 'Splice' for the second time. The first time I saw it, I hired it on DVD. After that viewing, I bought it and have now seen it again. So, basically, I do think it's a good enough film to watch more than once. However, now I've decided to write a review, no sooner have I logged on to see what other people thought, did I read another review's title saying something like, 'Good beginning, not so good end.' That pretty much sums up my thoughts on the film.I enjoyed the first two thirds, but I didn't feel that it fell apart towards the end. I would definitely say that it's worth watching for the most part. Adrian Broody and Sarah Polley play a couple of scientists who create a creature in a lab, but, in the tradition of all mad scientists, they take things a little too far. In this case they even take their creation home with them and it grows into quite an interesting beast.You can probably guess that their new 'addition' to their family is hardly a glowing success (otherwise it would be a pretty dull film!), so I won't say too much. It's a sort of sci-fi/horror film that does its best to throw in a few moral dilemmas that scientists have to face when it comes to how far they take their work in the lab.What makes it worth watching are the two leads. In what could have been just another B-movie the cast elevates it to something a little more. They have good chemistry and their acting talent certainly makes the script better than your average slasher flick. Then you have the creature itself. Yes, for its infancy it is computer generated. And you probably would be forgiven for thinking that the effects might look a bit ropey. Actually, they're pretty good. And, once the creature is fully-grown it gets replaced by a live actor (in make-up) who is equally as 'interesting' (for use of a better word) to look at.Like I say, 'Splice' has a lot going for it. The first two thirds are up there with the best of them when it comes to creepy horror. The final act does tend to degenerate into something a little more clichéd that doesn't do the build-up justice. But the first two thirds were good enough for me to invest in the film. And I'll probably watch it a few more times, too.