Splice (2009)

Splice is a science fiction dysfunctional family story as well as a parental cautionary tale, if you can imagine it! Two bold geneticists who are involved in a romantic relationship are working on bio-engineered lifeforms for a commercial company when they toss ethics aside and essentially create a chimera "daughter." At first thrilled by their accomplishment, soon their joy becomes a nightmare as "Dren" shows increasingly unpredictable and aggressive behavior as well as remarkable adaptability mutations. Her "parents" try to seclude, restrain and even destroy the product of their experimentation as the story becomes a fight for survival. Some Frankenstein's Monster ideas come through-the admonition about playing God and monkeying around with nature, irresponsibility and hubris causing chaos will spring to mind. Sadly, both Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley have little chemistry and the story lumbers along instead of becoming greater than the sum of its genetically-mismatched parts.

Erik M.