Splice

Written and directed by Vincenzo Natali who is the mind behind the bizarre cult classic - and on my list of best movies you've never seen - Cube, Splice is a strange horror drama thriller starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley.  Guillermo del Toro, whose name seems to be attached to almost everything these days, produces.  Before I go any further, I must disclaim:  This is one of the most disturbing movies I have ever seen - right up there with Oldboy.  If (highlight for semi-spoiler) incestuous bestiality alien rape bothers you terribly, you can stop right now and not even bother hearing what I think of this film.  Otherwise, carry on.

Clive (Brody) and Elsa (Polley) are partners in science as well as in life, working together to combine the DNA of animals to create new species at Nucleic Exchange Research and Development labs.  Yes that does spell "NERD."  Convinced that a human-animal hybrid would revolutionize science and medicine, pushing their research to the forefront of, well, everything, the proceed to do so despite being forbidden by their superiors.  The result is Dren (Delphine Chanéac), a female creature that is part human and part other stuff.  Not content to simply observe that their theories are possible, they raise Dren together in secret, watching her grow and making startling discoveries along the way.  As she gets older things get weirder.

It has probably been brought up in most every review, but for good reason:  The third act changes this film, which is probably a bad thing.  Up until then it was an intriguing, if disturbing, examination of morality, ethics, humanity, and science with some truly unique elements.  As the conclusion draws near, it changes over to one of the strangest horror films I have ever seen and the disturbing factor goes through the proverbial roof.

This is one of the more imaginative, creative, thought provoking and different movies in a long time.  The special effects are almost top notch, as are the actors' performances.  It does have a slightly indie feel to it.  I don't recall being bored during any of it, and despite the nature of the film it felt believable throughout - if a bit far fetched at times.

There were a few things that never seemed to be properly explained or addressed, and the story itself had some uneven patches.  The shortcomings, however, are easily forgiven.  If you can get past the very distubing nature of this movie, it offers an experience you are not likely to find very often.

**** (4/5 stars)