Movie Review: SPLICE

Some movies consider themselves horror films because they slash people to death, rip them apart, and rely completely on cheap jumps and gasps. Other films, like Splice, don't go for cheap thrills, but instead horrify effectively by using a smart story and a device that can connect with viewers. There is almost no human gore seen in Splice, but it's addition to the horror genre is welcomed as it earns it's credibility for being both intelligent and relevant.

When two geneticists (Sarah Polley, Adrien Brody) try to "one up" their own experiments (and defy their employers) by splicing human DNA with animal DNA, they create a creature they never could have bargained for. At first this creature, "Dren", is as cute as a puppy - but then it evolves into something far less cuddly.

The movie does a near-perfect job of being entertaining and a very good job of making an extraordinary situation seem like it could really happen. That is it's strength as it causes viewers to think "I wonder if there are labs out there that are really trying this stuff?" Where the film falters a bit should have been the easiest part - the relationship between the two geneticists. We learn that the couple has been together for at least seven years, yet when things start to go crazy, one of the scientists informs the other that she has a house and barn she's never mentioned which they can use to get out of a predicament. It just seemed silly and unbelievable. That complaint aside, this is a very very good movie. I was intrigued the entire time, and while some elements were predictable, it remained original enough to earn a score of 7.5 out of 10.