[psycho d]

Splice (2009). Even though this is a somewhat tired premise, Splice is one of those rare films that creates it own movie rhythm and for this reason alone it should not be missed by sci-fi fans. It knows that there is nothing really new here and acknowledges this with clever movie homages, my favorite being that given towards Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Far from perfect, it nonetheless offers subtle hints that are sublime if they are noticed but do not take anything away from the film if overlooked, giving the astute viewer an opportunity to give himself the occasional pat on the back. Many of life's confounding problems are examined on many levels, allowing the viewer to decide how much effort to put in it. The originality, and daring exploits, unfortunately cave in to the demands of economics, with the ending fashioned such that its trailers can be its sales pitch.

The story expects some viewer latitude such that it can tread on rather thin ice, but the rewards are more than worth it. Where plausibility wanes the essence of the scientific question gets furthered by questioning not only the blatant motives of the scientist, but maybe even his or her psychological drives to discovery, which leads to an uncomfortable realm where once again man gets to reflect upon his most difficult subject, humanity.

This movie is unfortunately carried by Brody and Polley. They are both great and more than shoulder the heft of this movie, but the other characters were relegated to such cliched caricatures that the movie loses part of its punch. This is too bad since their roles could have easily been fleshed up without much extra effort. Of course the real star of the show is Delphine Chanéac, and she absolutely nailed her chimerical role.

Writer/Director Vincenzo Natali still deserves much credit here. Making a movie that almost defines its own abstract cinematic texture is monumental. The photography was incredible but noticeably restrained, and though this allowed the story to determine the height of its significance, it did so at the expense of a more art house feel. This is not meant to be a denigration so much as to point out that the intent here was story over art proper, and I feel it was a wise choice. The effects were perfect. Never were they overdone nor held back, but instead were given just the right freight to help propel the story.

Overall this was a solid sci-fi entry whose ending catered to Hollywood and its bankers. But the original feel coupled with some rather daunting material covered is a decent enough trade-off to have this movie come to fruition.
d