Splice (film)
| Splice | |
|---|---|
 Final theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Vincenzo Natali |
| Produced by | Steven Hoban Guillermo del Toro Don Murphy Joel Silver |
| Screenplay by | Vincenzo Natali Antoinette Terry Bryant Doug Taylor |
| Story by | Vincenzo Natali Antoinette Terry Bryant |
| Starring | Adrien Brody Sarah Polley Delphine Chanéac |
| Music by | Cyrille Aufort |
| Cinematography | Tetsuo Nagata |
| Editing by | Michele Conroy |
| Studio | Copperheart Entertainment Gaumont Dark Castle Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. (United States) Optimum Releasing (United Kingdom) Madman Entertainment (Australia & New Zealand) |
| Release date(s) |
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| Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | Canada France |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million[1] |
| Box office | $26,857,459[1] |
Plot
Genetic engineers Clive Nicoli (Adrien Brody) and Elsa Kast (Sarah Polley) hope to achieve fame by successfully splicing together the DNA of different animals to create new hybrid animals for medical use. They have just created the second in a pair of hybrids; the new male specimen Fred is a dog-sized worm-like creature who is intended as a mate for the original female specimen called Ginger.After their success, Clive and Elsa want to use human DNA to create a hybrid that could revolutionize science and medicine. They are forbidden from doing this by Joan Chorot (Simona Maicanescu), the head of the sponsoring company calling itself N.E.R.D. Pharmaceuticals (short for Nucleic Exchange Research and Development). Instead their department is to be re-organized to focus on finding and extracting certain key proteins from the creatures they have already created. Secretly, Clive and Elsa conduct their own private experiments at great risk to their careers, blending human DNA with that of other animals.
Although they initially plan on terminating the hybrid before it reaches full term, Elsa persuades Clive to let it continue as their own secret project. The hybrid appears deformed and aggressive when it stings Elsa several times just prior to "birth". Clive and Elsa believe they have killed the hybrid only to discover that the actual creature was hidden within a detachable soft outer shell.
After anesthetizing and examining the creature, they discover that she is aging at a vastly accelerated rate. Clive is still adamant that the creature should be killed, but Elsa convinces him that it is too late. She points out that since the hybrid will be dead soon anyway, they should take advantage of this unique opportunity to observe its complete life cycle.
As time passes the creature grows and learns at an astonishing rate and the two scientists discover that she is capable of breathing amphibiously and can live underwater too. Elsa eventually names the creature Dren (Delphine Chanéac) which is N.E.R.D. spelled backwards. Elsa refuses to let Clive refer to her as a "specimen".
Due to Dren's demands on their time, Elsa and Clive begin to neglect their work and fail to read the logs kept by the other lab technicians on the progress of their original hybrids, Fred and Ginger. At the highly publicized "unveiling" of the two specimens, instead of mating as expected, Fred and Ginger savagely fight each other to a very bloody demise, creating a public relations disaster for the N.E.R.D. company. It is subsequently discovered that the female hybrid Ginger had spontaneously changed to a male, but Elsa and Clive had failed to notice because their attention was so focused on caring for Dren.
Elsa forms a motherly bond with Dren. As their lab becomes more and more crowded, and after Dren attacks Clive's brother/fellow lab technician Gavin (Brandon McGibbon), they move Dren to Elsa's late mother's farm. The audience learns that Dren has become carnivorous as she attacks and consumes a rabbit near the farm.
As Dren grows into adolescence, she becomes moody and petulant. She becomes bored being locked up in the barn and wants to go outside, but Elsa and Clive refuse because letting her outside could reveal her existence to the world. Soon, Clive realizes that the human DNA used to make Dren was not from a "Jane Doe" as Elsa had told him, but from Elsa herself.
Eventually, Dren resentfully lashes out at Elsa by spitefully killing a pet cat and then assaulting Elsa as Dren suddenly develops retractable wings. Elsa reacts by reverting back to the role of dispassionate scientist. She ties Dren up, refuses to speak to her (referring to her only as "the specimen" again), and removing the stinger from her tail. She then uses the living tissue from the stinger part of the tail to finally isolate and synthesize the protein for which they had been searching.
Soon afterward, Dren seduces Clive. He initially refuses her overtures but they eventually make love, only to be interrupted by Elsa. Clive follows Elsa back to their apartment, and they have a heated argument in which Clive confronts her about having used her own DNA to create Dren. He accuses Elsa of never wanting a normal child because she was afraid of losing control, which was why she insisted on creating a creature in the context of a scientific experiment, where control could be assured. He says that the line between right and wrong has become blurred for both of them. The two finally decide to terminate the experiment and presumably end Dren's life.
When they return to the farm, however, they discover that Dren is apparently already dying. Hours later, they bury her behind the barn. Soon afterwards, their boss William Barlow (David Hewlett) arrives with Gavin. Due to the human DNA found present in the samples Elsa worked with to synthesize the new protein, Barlow had immediately suspected that some sort of human hybrid has been created. Gavin, aware of Dren's existence, had confirmed Barlow's suspicions. But there's a very nasty surprise still in store as Dren is still alive and has changed into a male. Both Gavin and Barlow get killed by Dren and Elsa is then raped by Dren. In the ensuing scuffle that follows Clive gets killed by the stinger from Dren's tail, and Elsa kills Dren smashing his head with a stone.
In the final scene, Joan tells Elsa that Dren has turned out to be quite valuable as his body apparently contains numerous biochemical compounds that have never been seen before. She says that the company will be filing patent applications for years to come. She refers to the "very generous" amount of money that Elsa has been offered in exchange for her silence over Dren and for taking the experiment to the "next level". Elsa appears to have already accepted the offer. She is then shown to be pregnant and says "What's the worst that could happen?" (referring back to an earlier scene in the film where the same phrase is used during unprotected sex between Elsa and Clive).
Cast
- Adrien Brody as Clive Nicoli
- Sarah Polley as Elsa Kast
- Delphine Chanéac as Dren
- Brandon McGibbon as Gavin Nicoli
- Simona Maicanescu as Joan Chorot
- David Hewlett as William Barlow
- Abigail Chu as Child Dren
Production
Splice was written by director Vincenzo Natali and screenwriters Antoinette Terry Bryant and Doug Taylor.[3] The script was originally meant to follow up Natali's Cube (1997), but the budget and restricted technology hindered the project. In 2007, the project entered active development as a 75% Canadian and 25% French co-production, receiving a budget of $26 million.[4] The director described the film: "Splice is very much about our genetic future and the way science is catching up with much of the fiction out there. [This] is a serious film and an emotional one. And there's sex... Very unconventional sex. The centerpiece of the movie is a creature which goes through a dramatic evolutionary process. The goal is to create something shocking but also very subtle and completely believable."[5]In October 2007, actors Brody and Polley were cast into the lead roles. Production began the following November in Toronto, Ontario.[3] It was aided by Telefilm Canada's funding of US$2.5 million.[6] Filming took place in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario and concluded in February 2008.[4]
In an interview, when asked if there would be any sequels, Natali responded "I don't think so. It could happen, but it would have required the movie to make a lot of money in the States, but even though the ending of the film appears to be setting up a sequel that was never my intention. All of my films end with a question, and somewhat ambiguously, and they always imply the beginning of another story, I like to leave the audience with something to ponder."[7][not in citation given]
Release
The film premiered on October 6, 2009 at the Sitges Film Festival,[8] where it won "Best Special Effects" and was in the running for "Best Film", and was part of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.[9] After a bidding war with Apparition,[10] The Weinstein Company,[11] Newmarket Films, First Look Studios, and Samuel Goldwyn Films,[12] Dark Castle Entertainment purchased the film in February 2010.[13][14] The film received a wide release in the United States on June 4, 2010, with Warner Bros. as distributor.[15][16] The trailer was attached to The Losers and A Nightmare on Elm Street.[17]Home media
Splice was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 5, 2010 in the USA and on November 29, 2010 in the UK.[18]Reception
Critical reception
The film has received generally positive reviews from critics. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 75% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 178 reviews, with an average score of 6.6/10.[19] The critical consensus is: "It doesn't take its terrific premise quite as far as it should, but Splice is a smart, well-acted treat for horror fans."[19] Review aggregate Metacritic awarded the film an average score of 65 out of 100 based on 34 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[20]The Flick Cast said "Splice is funny, frightening, and shocking all at once. It's a disturbing commentary on where science is heading, and it is not easily shaken off once you leave the theatre."[21]
Nevertheless, Richard Roeper panned Splice, calling it one of the worst movies of 2010. He gave the film a D+ calling it "ridiculous" but giving it credit for trying to be different.[22]
Box office
The film opened on June 4, 2010 in wide release to a $7.4 million opening weekend in 2,450 theaters, averaging $3,014 per theater.[1]Accolades
Splice won the 2011 Telefilm Golden Box Office Award, CAD$40,000, for being the highest-grossing Canadian feature film in English in 2010.[23]References
- ^ a b c "Splice (2010) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
- ^ "New Hi-Res Images From 'Splice'".
- ^ a b Borys Kit (2007-10-04). "A creature feature for Polley, Brody". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ a b Marise Strauss (2007-10-05). "Natali taps Polley, Brody for Splice". Playback. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ Ryan Rotten (2007-04-25). "EXCL: Natali Talks Splice!". ShockTillYouDrop.com. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ "Telefilm Canada announces funding for 11 English-language projects". Canadian Press. 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
- ^ Jon Lyus (2010-07-22). "Exclusive Interview – Vincenzo Natali Talks Splice, Sex and The Monster of Neuromancer". HeyUGuys. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
- ^ "Sitges Film Festival - Splice". Sitges Film Festival.
- ^ "Sundance '10: 'Splice' Director Vincenzo Natali Blogs".
- ^ Gregg Goldstein (2010-10-13). "Service deals becoming a hit at Sundance". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ "Sundance '10: Bidding War Over Vincenzo Natali's 'Splice'".
- ^ "Sundance 2010: Splice Object of Service Deal Bidding Battle".
- ^ Mike Fleming. "Big Sundance Deal Getting Done: 'Splice'". Deadline.
- ^ "Splice Set for U.S. Release: Summer date set for Brody sci-fi flick". IGN. 19 March 2010.
- ^ "Dark Castle Making Massive Commitment to 'Splice' Release?".
- ^ "Horror Takes on the Summer Blockbusters! Splice Set For Summer Release from Warner".
- ^ "Official Teaser Poster for 'Splice' Introduces Dren".
- ^ "Splice". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-10-06.
- ^ a b "Splice Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
- ^ "Splice Film Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
- ^ "Splice Review". The Flick Cast. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
- ^ "Splice Review - RichardRoeper.com". Retrieved 15 February 2011.
- ^ "Sci-fi horror Splice earns Telefilm box office prize". CBC News. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 27 May 2011. "Splice, Vincenzo Natali's slick sci-fi horror film starring Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody, has won Telefilm's fledgling Golden Box Office Award."
External links
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