Splice

Writer-Director Vincenzi Natali's Cube was an intelligent and very different sci-fi thriller that achieved something of a cult status. Since then he has been relatively quiet on both the directing and writing front. So Splice marks something of a comeback.

It's a modern day take on Frankenstein. Two scientists (Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley) bend the rules in creating a creature which blends human DNA with several other species and then details their complex relationship with their creation as she develops at an accelerated rate.

Is it any good? Well, one of the three or four different movies that seeming to be competing for space and clashing here is actually rather good. The middle section which shows the development of the creature, Dren, through childhood and teenage years and the bonding between her and her parents, together with the confusion her unique status brings, is actually really well done, largely down to an amazing performance by Delphine Chaneac, bringing a real child like wonder to Dren.

However, the start and finish lurch between satire, broad comedy, cliched creature-feature scares and who knows what else, resulting in jumps in tone that jar hugely and a film that leaves Brody and Polley stranded with no idea where to pitch their performances. And final act is best just avoided.

Overall -5.5/10 It's a very messy film, with some really good parts, but a very incoherent whole. Overal, the good bits probably don't make it worthwhile.