Splice Review: Let’s Raise A Mutant Baby!

Is it ethical to use human DNA for cloning or the creation of a hybrid species? In Splice, director Vincenzo Natali puts the question to the test by having world-renowned geneticists Clyde (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) step across the fine line of creationism. Working for N.E.R.D. (Nucleic Exchange Research and Development) Clyde and Elsa splice together DNA of various animals creating new hybrid organisms for medicinal purposes.  At the beginning of the movie, viewers are introduced to Fred and Ginger, cute blobs of flesh created to help fight Parkison’s disease, Alzheimer, and some types of cancer using a synthesized protein found within their blood. When Elsa tries to urge the project funders that splicing human DNA into a new hybrid would create superior cures, the proposition gets turned down. The project leader and funders of N.E.R.D. tell her that the world would find splicing human DNA unethical and won’t allow it. Does this stop her? Of course not. Breaking the rules of ethical science, Elsa convinces Clyde that they are smart enough to create a hybrid species using human DNA. Splice soon turns into a movie about smart people making terrible terrible decisions.

The initial outcome of the experiment leads to the creation of a small bipedal creature. Clyde wants to kill it, but Elsa convinces him to keep the creature alive. I can already see this ending well….-__-. Growing at an exponential rate, the hybrid starts to take human form. Elsa names the creature Dren, after the creature uses Scrabble letters to spell out Nerd. You would think that scientists would come up with something more creative than nerd spelled backwards.

After the presentation of Fred and Ginger to potential investors ends in the two hybrids killing each other in a bloodbath, the lab housing Dren becomes unsafe as the company begins to crackdown on the employees. Clyde and Elsa manage to sneak Dren to a deserted barn house that belonged to Elsa’s family when she was growing up. With Dren quietly tucked away from society, Clyde and Elsa are set to raise a mutant baby.

Taking care of Dren proves more difficult then they perceive. Dren exhibits advanced levels of recognition and association. Her characteristics are very human, yet she shares animalistic behaviors. Treated as a human child by Elsa, the movie becomes awkward and uncomfortable to watch as Dren is dressed in clothing and has makeup applied to her. The raising of Dren and the interactions Clyde and Elsa share with their creation were some of my favorite parts of the movie regardless of how they made me feel. An interesting psychological aspect added to the film was how Elsa raised Dren, after the movie delved into Elsa’s abusive mother and her troubled childhood. Sadly, the movie fell apart shortly thereafter.

What turned me off completely to the film was the ridiculousness of the last quarter of the movie. For those that are avoiding spoilers I’d advise skipping the next paragraph as I will delve into why an intriguing movie became a loss of words in my eyes. I believe it needs to be addressed. I’ll mark for spoilers.

*SPOILERS*

As Dren continues to evolve, her desire for a companion grows. Clyde realizes that the human DNA in Dren has come from Elsa herself after he gets a close look at Dren when he teaches her how to dance.  Dren takes a liking to Clyde, which inevitably leads to the two of them having sex. Yes, they have sex. Not some implicit scene either. A very explicit assortment of scenes, lasting about three minutes, which comes to an end when Elsa walks in on them in middle of the act. The entire theater was bursting in laughter at the absurdity. Clyde even runs out of the barn to try to salvage the situation with Elsa. Worse was the dialogue that came after when Clyde and Elsa confronted each other at their apartment. Deciding enough is enough the couple believe its time to terminate their creation. When they arrive at the barn Dren appears to be dying. The geneticists bury her after what appears to be her death. Unfortunately for them, Dren undergoes a sex change becoming a male. Becoming feral and competitive, Dren attacks Clyde and rapes Elsa, who is its biological mother. The hybrid whispers it’s only lines during the movie, “Inside You” as he rapes her. Yeah……… Sadly it doesn’t end there. Dren kills Clyde, but Elsa manages to kill the Dren when it’s not looking by bashing it’s skull with a rock. Some time after a very pregnant Elsa signs a contract with the funder of her company to hand over her unborn child for scientific research. I just don’t know what to say. Natali had a good thing going for the first three-fourths of the movie, but ruined it with the last quarter.

*END SPOILERS*

The performances throughout the film were well delivered. Both Brody and Polley do a great job portraying their characters. The show stealers of the film go to both Abigail Chu and Delphine Chanéac for their amazing performances as Young Dren and Dren. The movements of the creature were so natural it truly felt as if the creature was learning every moment it was on screen complimenting the beautiful CGI. Sadly, great performances are not enough to save this film.

One of my biggest complaints about Splice is the genre the movie tries to portray itself as. In the previews and commercials the film pushes a horror angle. That is not the case. Splice was not scary. The movie tries to push questionable ethics of science, yet there is no science in the movie. Natali shows you scientists working on projects, but any knowledge of splicing and science are missing. What the movie ends up becoming is a Sci-Fi drama of a couple raising a mutant baby. Even worse, the movie ends up being comical.

Splice really digs deeps into the human psyche with Clyde and Elsa as they interact with what they’ve done. An interesting psychological aspect added to the film was how Elsa raised Dren. The movie delves into Elsa’s past defining her relationship with an abusive mother and her troubled lack of childhood. This comes to affect Elsa’s behavior with Dren as the movie progresses. Regrettably the movie never delves into the mind of Dren or her motives. This is unfortunate as Dren was the most intriguing character in the film. It felt like a missed opportunity on Natali’s end.

In the end I really cannot recommend Splice in good judgment. While the movie leaves you thinking about the ethics and use of human DNA, the absurdity and comical nature that develops throughout the film transforms Splice from an intriguing tale to a film that falls flat on its face. Having to hear geneticist, who are the best in the world, say “what’s the worst that could happen” or “I’ve got this under control,” really leaves me agreeing with my friend Will who said, “Splice is a movie more about dumb people than the mutant monsters.”

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. P – © GAUMONT/SPLICE (COPPERHEART) PRODUCTIONS INC.COPYRIGHT 2009