Splice: Movie Review

This is not a film you will soon forget. After seeing Splice all I could say when asked what I thought was, “I uhhh… wow.” The trailer makes it look like it was a scary, “jump out at you” type film — and although it has its moments — the film has no cheap scares but may mentally scar you forever. It’s safe to say, that this film goes for it full steam and reminds us all how fun it was to be surprised by quality film-making and a unique story.

If you ask me, the first few trailers for this film set you up to be a bit confused. You’re probably better off not paying attention to them and just taking my advice — if you like fucked up, well shot, well told films, you won’t find a better film than Splice.

The Players:

• Director: Vincenzo Natali
• Actors: Adrien Brody, Sarah Polley, Delphine Chanéac
• Writers: Vincenzo Natali, Antoinette Terry Bryant, Doug Taylor
• Cinematography by: Tetsuo Nagata
• Special Effects: Jason Board
• Music: Cyrille Aufort

The Good:

• The Surprise: In most films now-a-days you can see the ending coming from a mile away, but not in Splice. At almost every step of the way I was so deeply interested in what was going on that I never even tried to predict the ending nor could have if I wanted to.
• The Special Effects: The real challenge of the special effects in this film was making them look real. This wasn’t a world of make believe, this was supposed to happen in real life so the effects HAD to be perfect in order for the film to work – luckily they were amazing and despite being an indie film blew the special effects in the big blockbusters like Clash of the Titans out of the water.
• Adrien Brody: I love it when successful actors like him take GIANT risks and play characters that do truly messed up things. Well played.
• The Characters: The film wouldn’t have worked without having well developed characters who you felt invested in and intrigued by. Despite all of the insane things going on, you always have real characters for you to follow through and keep you connected to the film.
• The Suspense: The music, the camera angles, the lighting everything all added up to an extremely suspenseful and interesting to watch film.

The Bad:

• Some Plot Points: A Few times there were some plot points that felt a bit too convenient, but there was enough going on that you don’t really care and they’re easily forgivable.

The Good or Bad:

• The Long Term Effects: Depending on who you are and what you want from a film, walking out of a theater feeling dirty may be a good or a bad thing. Certain things occur in the film that are just simply fucked up — there is no other way to say it. It’s safe to say that this film is not for everyone, some people won’t enjoy it. BUT! That being said, it’s so nice to see a film-maker take an idea and run with it 100% and do it well. Even if it’s not your favorite type of film, the craftsmanship that went into it makes you to respect it, appreciate it, and if you’re into this type of film, love it.

Overall:

Prepare for an experience and good luck to you my friend! Consider yourself both warned and hopefully enticed!

Rating: 9/10

Splice is in theaters June 4th!

Photos:

Trailer:

(Not the bad one mentioned above)