Out now on DVD and Blu-Ray is this Adrien Brody starring horror. Read my review and find out more, after the jump...
Whilst working in a genetics lab, Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) perform a secret experiment to mix inter-species DNA with that of a human. If successful, the results could help unlock many of life's secrets and find cures for some diseases. The experiment starts to grow and eventually is born as Dren, a small bird like creature that quickly starts to evolve into a fully grown woman; at least physically if not mentally. Can Clive ignore the moral implications and Elsa put aside her own issues to care for their creation?


Dren is an innocent creature, but one with some primal instincts. Remember, she's not an alien, she's a new form of animalistic human being with survival traits from many species, including a deadly retractable spike at the end of her tail. The design of Dren is fantastic. At birth she is a bizarre little creature, but as she gets older things start to get really weird. When Dren reaches adolescence she's not that far away from looking human (helped by being played by quite a beautiful woman), but with the obvious additions of a tail and bird like legs. There's a weird sexuality to the creature that becomes more and more apparent and equally disturbing over time.

Although placed against the backdrop of scientific discovery, the main story is Clive and Elsa's relationship with Dren, including her switch from Mummy's girl to Daddy's girl as the previously clinical Clive starts to show her more affection. In this scenario Elsa becomes the strict mother and Clive's more of the cool stepdad who'll let Dren spread her wings (not just metaphorically). Adrien Brody's Clive does go through some major character changes as the story progresses, and it's hard to find the justifications for some of his actions. I don't want to get into spoilers but you'll know what I'm referring to when you see it.

Much like the experiments Clive and Elsa perform, the film often works better as a concept than it does in execution. Splice is a disturbing film with some very strange imagery that definitely owes a debt to the work of David Cronenberg, in particular The Fly. The ending may leave you with quite a nasty after taste, however this original but flawed film should be commended for what it attempts.
Verdict
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