Let’s just get it out there: Except for its social implications, moral controversy and intriguing possibilities, genetic engineering is not especially riveting onscreen.
This is why we have science fiction, a genre that repeatedly turns to the human element of scientific progress and the dangers it represents to the world as we know it in order to make intriguing stories. “Jurassic Park” isn’t about dinosaurs, but about “the rape of the natural world” (as one character says) that their creation represents. Similarly, “Splice” isn’t about the genetic experiment from which the plot is born, but about the neuroses it highlights in its initiators.
However, even though many of the necessary inputs of the sci-fi formula are present, “Splice” doesn’t recombine them to create a memorable experience that viewers can care about.
The film never stops to explain itself, instead diving straight into its exploration of genetic splicing. The scientists of interest here are Drs. Clive Nicoli (Adrien Brody, “The Darjeeling Limited”) and Elsa Kast (Sarah Polley, TV’s “John Adams”), two defiant young geneticists intent on exploring the possibilities of the human species in their experiments.
The two stumble upon a miracle of science — they create a partially human new organism — and from there sprouts the Frankensteinian conflict of control.
Their creation, named Dren (“NERD” — the name of the scientists’ lab — backwards), transforms from something like a rabbit-velociraptor-man baby into a beautiful almost-human chimera-like female creature played by relative newcomer Delphine Chanéac. The two scientists clash over how best to behave toward the creature: Clive tries to see her as merely an experiment, whereas Elsa not-too-subtly treats her as her daughter.
The casting is strong: Brody is born to play the sensitive and logical type, and Polley’s beauty is matched by her ability to look possessed on cue. Chanéac gives off an equally appropriate look and stare in her role as Dren.
The CGI associated with expanding Chanéac into a semi-human creature is unobtrusive and well integrated into her character. Her interactions with the other characters are similarly smooth, and the visual continuity of the film is held together by its technical proficiency.
Nevertheless, the film’s overall look suffers from a lack of imagination. While occasionally broken by intriguing cinematography, its picture is blandly illustrated in shadows. The plot offers the usual twists and turns expected for such a thriller, but it never makes an impression beyond the blueprint. It has little trouble, then, sinking in with the myriad of formulaic dark thrillers that pass through theaters every year.
Another drawback to “Splice” is that, despite an interesting concept, it never succeeds in drawing the viewer into its world. It doesn’t delve into the details of its science, and thus forces the audience to remain outside the scientific realm it explores. When the situation spirals out of control, “Splice” seems all too compelled by magic and not realistic possibilities.
The world of the film begins to feel tiny as the scientists’ conflict remains isolated and never evolves into the massive problem the film describes it as. When all’s said and done, it’s difficult to really care about the outcome.
Although “Splice” is built on a genuinely interesting concept, it mishandles its potential as a thriller. The unfortunate part is that many of the necessary elements are there, and effective — the actors, the chemistry and the special effects — but the lack of a focused script renders it inert. One can only hope that another, more insightful film will come along to take better advantage of the science. And given the ubiquity of sci-fi thrillers, one likely will.