Review – Splice

This is one of those mean little movies that seem to delight in nothing other than their own glum cruelty. A couple of scientists (Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley) fuse a burgoo of DNA together to make a vaguely human creature that swiftly grows out of control. So the best we can hope for here is a flavorless reheat of Species. Unfortunately, once the monster starts to mature the production takes a turn for the extraordinarily rotten. All the characters live in a state of constant misery, and none of them are the least bit sympathetic. And as if to spread this festival of negative emotion to the audience, the picture becomes a relentless, humorless parade of “what awful thing is going to happen next?” moments. The violent death of a housecat and the brutal rape were enough to earn this a sub-zero rating (though they certainly didn’t stop there). Avoid at all costs