There are films that I see, that most of you out there have to wait for some obscure DVD release that you end up watching at home because the powers that be, just never get behind the film in question to a degree that would put the badass film in a theater near you.
SPLICE is such a film. A delicate, crazed, wonderful, beautiful and warped film that we don’t see in wide release any more. Mainstream horror & science fiction is generally these days a remake or a gore fest. One or the other. Smart horror… well, frankly it is usually relegated to being put out by MAGNOLIA these days.
SPLICE languished for quite some time. It has Guillermo Del Toro’s namebrand attached as producer, but even still… it wasn’t seeing a release. The economy hurt it. The subject matter. A lot conspired against this fantastic film. But then at SUNDANCE this year – a buzz began. And Joel Silver saw it and lost his wondrously wacky mind for it. And he convinced WARNER BROS to get behind it… In a big way. SPLICE is going to be on more that 2,500 screens this weekend.
A release on the same scale as the global abomination known as MARMADUKE, the lessor film KILLERS and the hysterical comedy GET HIM TO THE GREEK. That is, frankly, AMAZING.
This is a type of horror that comes from Technology. Not really Science Fiction technology, the tech that exists right now. In fact, everything that is done in this film can and may be being done in labs in the dark corners of our planet. Genetic Hybrids are not fantasy, simply an eventuality. At some point, the world we live in could become different. Real different.
It’s a type of science fiction that we haven’t really seen in films – the intelligent design of the future. I mean, who hasn’t had night chills from thinking about CANADIAN SPIDER-GOATS and their bullet proof milk silk! Seriously – that’s something that already exists in our world.
Another aspect of this, is the quality of visual effects to bring something horribly beautiful to life.
SPLICE is great at many levels. Just the Sarah Polley & Adrian Brody level of this film is great. I love modern geeky scientists that love anime, collect toys and a sense of style. I love seeing a real couple that I can imagine knowing. A modern young couple that have the kinds of discussions, excitement and frustration with authority that many of us have. And this very familiar couple – they happen to be a pair of the brightest genetic engineering types out there. Designing life, not from scratch like that completely designed and created cell the other day. YEESH! But more like a GLOWY KITTEN type of thing.
They get excited about what they realize they can do, they’re told not to do it, but conspire to do it. And the product is beautiful and scary.
Now – Parents – this is horror that will have a sexual nature to it. Think vintage CRONENBERG. This is a film that’s very subject matter raises questions and discussions. A horror film that hits you on a psyche level, an erotic level, an intellectual level and even a moral level. There’s much in this film that I feel is strongly late teenager type of material. There is disturbing extreme imagery that is very adult.
SPLICE is the sort of horror that I would like to see more of. The effects are perfect. Stunning work. Hypnotic and unforgettable. The topic is one ripe for discussion and exploitation. I found the story fascinating. At each stage I found myself wondering exactly where it was headed, then being surprised by where it went.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)