Splice - 4 years later

Some movies you see and forget, but some movies stick with you for years after you see them.

Splice is like that. My favorite scene was probably the 'failed presentation' at the conference, because who hasn't been to one of these product-release conferences? They are often boring marketing presentations, although they can be interesting. Rarely do they result in the product destroying itself in a spectacular fashion. The 'product' in this case is a living creature, which reminds me a little of the scenes in King Kong when the 'promoter' watches in horror as nature overwhelms his best laid plans.


The rest of it was fascinating. The whole mad scientist thing / nature's power thing really was done a new turn here. Frankenstein, the Thing, the Blob, Real Genius, Ghostbusters, King Kong, Jaws, all of it kind of updated and twisted on it's head. Every scientist encounters a moral dilemma, but this is really taking that to an entirely strange and new place.

Then there is the basic look and feel of it. I mean Dren starts out as a loaf of bread basically. The way the special effects were done for this are really,, I mean, how can you forget them? Blobs of goo, jelly vibrating and moving around, slime, etc. The darkness of the barn and the screeches of Dren, the nasty expressions on her face. Of course the effects of her head are incredible, you don't even really notice them.

The sex stuff? Ok. I have to admit I was like 'wtf' when that happened in the film. I don't even necessarily think it was entirely necessary to the film, just having the basic flirtations and feelings was enough for me to make it interesting. The last half hour or so of the film, where it goes into full blown action horror, are gut punching but, to me the most interesting parts are the beginning and middle, where Dren is learning and growing, and the two main characters are both experiencing the joy of seeing life grow and learn, but also struggling with the morality of their scientific quest.

The conflict between 'mom' and 'dad' is also really fascinating. The questions they raise to each other are the sort where you ask yourself "uhm... yeah, i dont know the answer". In so many films the dilemmas between characters seem to be pointless or to have an easy solution. The ultimate expression of what I'm describing is something like "The Man Who Knew To Little" with Bill Murray. Roger Ebert used to talk about this type of film, where the film wouldn't exist if all the characters weren't idiots. Well, "Splice" is the exact polar opposite of that type of film. The characters are not idiots. They were really, really intelligent, almost too intelligent for their own good. They wind up, through various circumstances, in a really bad situation with no good solutions. That is one of the best things about the film.

In other words, I think it's got some of the key features to be a 'cult classic'. It's unforgettable, it's got some really, really unique moments and ideas, and a great deal of it is superbly executed.