SPLICE

CAROLINE: The new sci-fi/thriller/horror movie Splice is so up your alley. I can’t believe you didn’t see it with me!

RYAN: Honey, don’t even get me started. I’m so bummed to have missed it. So start talking – was it as scary as the trailer made it look?

CAROLINE: It doesn’t get truly scary till the end, and it’s a really interesting movie… until it majorly jumps the shark after about an hour. But I enjoyed the science and ethics questions it brings up – human cloning, combining human and animal genes, etc.

RYAN: It’s a fascinating topic for sure. I’m so glad you liked it!

CAROLINE: I did, but I have to warn you – the thing that happens about an hour in is so lame that it almost ruined the entire movie for me. The audience was jeering. And then after that, people kept howling and cracking inappropriate jokes for the remainder of the film.

RYAN: OMG, that’s so annoying!

CAROLINE: Yeah, it kinda sucked. Especially because after the cheesy scene happens, the movie gets interesting again and you want to pay attention. But people had already gotten disengaged from it, so they couldn’t stop with the comments. I came up with a few alternate scenes in my head that would have made the last 30 minutes of the movie much more palatable.
RYAN: Of course you did, honey. How was Sarah Polley? I remember her from the Disney TV series Road to Avonlea. Never thought she’d be doing a horror flick!

CAROLINE: She’s really good, as is Adrien Brody. They play a couple who also work in a lab together. I liked that the co-stars were two name actors but not huge stars. That helped with the credibility of the film. And then the girl who plays the half-woman/half-beast is a French actress who’s barely done any American movies until this one.

RYAN: So that’s a real woman playing the hybrid?

CAROLINE: Yes, but they used CGI for her legs and eyes and hands. It’s pretty freaky stuff. Especially because it’s probably going on in a real lab somewhere in South America as we speak.

RYAN: So is it predictable?

CAROLINE: Not really. I just think there were a few scenes that could have been written better to make it clearer or less painfully cheesy. But the end is interesting. And let’s just say, there could easily be a sequel.

RYAN: Well, it’ll all depend on how it fares at the box office.

CAROLINE: For sure. I suspect the horror movie crowd will be into it… but it also might be too science-y and smart for the masses. It’ll be interesting to see what happens this weekend between this, Killers, which isn’t screening for critics, and Get Him to the Greek.

— BOTTOM LINE —

CAROLINE: It’s a very cool movie in many ways, and it’s quite thought provoking. You’ll definitely leave the theater wanting to discuss it afterward. But it has this one god-awful moment that practically ruined the movie for me. I wish I could wholeheartedly recommend it, but that scene was a real dud. The rest of the movie is intriguing though, and it’s well made with great effects. I think fans of the genre will enjoy.

— RATING —