Splice

 

Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) are two genetic scientists in the employ of a medical research company. They create strange creatures that look like a cross between a flaccid penis and a giant turd, from which medicinal genes can be harvested. Thwarted in her ambitions to use human genes by her boss, Elsa decides to continue her research in secret and creates a new creature which initially resembles a plucked chicken with a guinea pig's head, before it metamorphoses into something like a little girl, whom she names Dren. Splice tells this story of Promethean over-reaching with an effective blend of sombre tone and gross special effects. But as Dren continues to grow and Elsa and Clive take on the role of surrogate parents, the story becomes predictably – and ickily – Oedipal in its trajectory. This allows for some decent satire on modern parenting, but ultimately the characters lose our sympathy and the shock finale comes as little surprise. [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]