Splice (2009) - warning

F

Fahad

Veteran
this is a rant/review.

I don't know why it has a 75% "Fresh" rating at rottentomatoes or a 7/10 at IMDB.

nothing about the film made sense.

nothing about the dialogue made sense.

all the "science fiction" elements did not make sense.

the motives of the characters did not make sense.

"character development" was clearly an after thought.

there was no chemistry between the lead characters.

things didn't happen because they needed to, but because the production wanted them to happen.

it was quite simply the worst movie I have seen in a very long time. and i'm not saying that to bash it, it's simply my opinion.

the best two things that i can say about the film:

1) nice production value.
2) ... at the very best, a great script was written and then re-written into a bad script.

everything i mention here is an understatement.

if you must watch it, wait till it's out on dvd (rent) or even better when it's on the syfy channel in a few months/years.

if you were involved in the production of the movie, the technical aspects were fine. if you wrote the movie... what happened?

cheers!
 
Your review doesn't make sense. :p

But really, I'd be interested in seeing why you thought it didn't make sense. I quite liked it. It was totally f'd up. In fact, that was my introduction to the film "this is a f'd up movie, I hope you like it". And that's how Joel Silver introduced it to my boss. I think it lived up to that introduction. I thought it was original. And the story isn't too difficult to understand. I do agree with there being a disconnect between the two leads though.
 
I really liked it but I can see why some other people wouldn't like it since it doesn't have a traditional story structure, in a typical movie it would be explained how the scientists couple are considered the brando's of their field juxtaposed against the fact that all their research belongs to someone else and the strains on their relationship by rather direct dialog. In this movie however they do it with set pieces such as the WIRED magazine cover, their cramped apartment and wardrobe. The reason I think they did this is that the movie is not a straight scifi horror flick but more like a beefed up morality tale, the film is like a Twilight Zone episode and it's been a while since people have tried that format for a major release. The last time I remember a film trying to convey that was The Island of Dr. Moreau and that movie was messed up in many ways.

The two things that impressed me the most were how the movie deals with the moral ambiguity of genetic ethics, abortion, stem cell research, gender roles and fertility. Plus all the family and psychological strains without it being too weighed down or preachy. That and the main cast were really good, Brody is always on point, Polley is one of the most talented artists of her generation and Chanéac's performance was impressive considering she had to do it under make up and with no lines...

There were some parts that I thought were under developed and flawed but overall imo it's a rather good movie and one of the better mainstream scifi horror movies to come along in a while.
 
happnin' mojo said:
...like a beefed up morality tale...
Click to expand...

your reply is well stated, happnin' mojo. though, this fragment is what got me. i appreciate the morality angle of the film, but it was forced on the images.

happnin' mojo said:
...it doesn't have a traditional story structure...
Click to expand...

you're right. it's an alternative approach to filmmaking that caught me by surprise.

at the very least, my critique is: the (mainly story) elements of the film weren't neatly tied together (if that makes any sense).
 
Michael Anthony Horrigan said:
Now I think I want to see it. :)
Click to expand...
And I finally did.

I waited until it was on The Movie Network. Glad I did.
It was a terrible movie on just about all counts. Just terrible.

Good production value though. That's the only good thing I can say about this movie. Even the acting was bad.
The awful dialogue probably didn't help them. Two fine actors really. Just not in this movie.

PS - I didn't dislike this film because it was different, it was just bad.

Closing line of dialogue from the movie... "What's the worst that can happen?"

A sequel, that's what.
 
Splice is ****ing awesome. One of the best Cronenberesque films since Cronenberg did Cronenberg films.

In fact, one of the top ten science fiction films in the last ten years.

What is wrong with you people?
 
I enjoyed it as well, and liked the fact it was so different. I wouldn't want to see them do it any different personally.
 
there was nothing to like IMO, i liked it at first then half way through it became a train wreck. waste of actors and director.
 
Another film that wouldn't exist if the woman wasn't a complete moron who wore the pants in the relationship. Every single choice she made was non-sensical and absolutely the worst possible choice in the given situation. And he didn't stand up to her once. Each time the script weakly called for a confrontation over a decision he backed down or gave in within seconds.

With that in mind, the film is barely enjoyable. And the last 15 minutes felt like they were written by a 15 year old. Overall, a waste of time and more disappointingly, potential.
 
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