Splice – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

Scientifically speaking, if humans are ever going to ascend past our consumerist and capitalist mindset, making it possible for the continuation of our species on this planet, we’re going to have to think of ways passed the two biggest challenges facing science: the corporation greed and the moral debate. I’m fairly certain there are a few bright individuals who have stood on the door steps of curing cancer, Alzheimer, and other genetic diseases, only to be shut down due to the old adage of there’s no money in the cure and the moral debate of how they came to get the cure, something many believe is in stem cell research. Splice is one of those rare, slick studio productions that somehow explores interesting areas that you would not think was possible in a film from the studio system.

Exploring issues that are on most politicians tongues, the film doesn’t go as far sometimes as you wish, but it’s a rare breed of a creature feature that stimulates the mind over just being eye candy. If cloning humans or using their genetic makeup is the line many religions and politicians feel should not be crossed, Splice explores pass that line into creepier areas. It isn’t the deepest look at this idea, as it covers it in big, broad strokes, but it offers up enough tangible questions, all shrink wrapped in the genre it’s in, to make it all pretty provocative. It’s also something I feel might hurt the film to an audience looking for those typical creature feature staples of mayhem and bloodshed. Having that attitude is unfair in viewing Splice, which even though feels like this movie or that movie, it twists it up enough to be fresh.

Using great creature FX (from KNB Effects) and a neat design for DREN (New York based artist Dan Ouellette), the film is far more interesting when it is exploring this odd family unit with Sarah Polley, Adrien Brody, and DREN, with the way their roles keep switching. While I wanted a little more back story to Polley’s character bad childhood, I still got the vibe of how certain things from her past affect her character in the film’s latter stages. I can also forgive the film’s conventional third act for many of the things it’s looking at. Early on in the film, a character remarks how if God allowed Man to find the genetic code for humans, we should be allowed to use it. That’s why Splice works; it’s a dark, creepy, erotic, science fiction film, something we rarely get anymore. Maybe we should let science work for us and have God worry about the moral implications of that science?

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Warner Bros. offers the film on a typically strong HD disc. With strong cold colors, fine details, sharp texturing in close-ups, everything looks great. It might be a tad soft in an area here or there, but it’s really a strong looking HD picture, so few will complain. The DTS track is decent, although towards the end of the film, there’s a shrill sound to the dailogue and bass is rather minimal, but then there’s times when the sound field is really active. Overall, is a good, strong effort.

A Director’s Playground: Vincenzo Natali on the Set of Splice: The lone extra is pretty good. Running at 30 minutes we get an in-depth look at the film and its themes. It’s good stuff, but in SD.

Well, I guess you get the Digital Copy and DVD on disc 2, but no one counts those as extras.

Conclusion: The Cube director offers up another interesting sci-fi fable that’s worth seeing.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-ray: Rating: