"Was this ever about science?"This is a fairly standard but strongly-realised Dark Castle production: effective, entertaining, daft and straining with ambition beyond its budget. In spite of plot-holes the size of Belgium, the narrative is taut and keeps its momentum. Splice is essentially Species for the genetic-engineering generation - with some inevitable visual nods to Alien - until it bizarrely decides to turn into Jeepers Creepers in the final reel. Adrien Brody and Sara Polley (here unnervingly similar to Julianne Moore) provide serious strength to the lead couple, from their early effortless chemistry to the later extremes when their experiment (and relationship) unravel spectacularly. Dren, the creature born in the lab, is convincingly and sympathetically realised on-screen, the accelerated maturation taking us and its scientist 'parents' through recognisable human stages of development, but different enough hold a curious fascination; indeed, one scene drew a collective gasp from the audience in its shocking treatment of the creature. Natali directs with the expected visual flair and precision, and whilst the film's internal structure means that the story holds no real surprises, Splice is a surprisingly thoughtful and well-staged movie.
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