How hast Hollywood made Frankenstein? Let me cite some ways lest I forget.

There was the replicant way in 1982’s sci-fi classic Blade Runner where Harrison Ford

had to hunt down four strays that had run amok; the alien DNA way in Species, allowing

Canadian hotty Natasha Henstridge to make monsters actually look irresistibly sexy; and

the high tech computer way in Disney’s original Tron in which an original written pro-

gram called Master Control was allowed to grow so powerful, it was using us humans,

not vice- versa- a “virtual” Frankenstein.

Splice is the latest addition to filmdom’s  litany of man made monster pics. It’s

definitely a sci-fi suspense thriller aptly directed by Vincenzo (Cube) Natali and star-

ring Adrien Brody , Sarah Polley (remember her from the “Dawn of the Dead” remake?)

and the appealing French actress Delphine Cheneac Embedded within the hot button is-

sue of human cloning, Splice is terrifyingly real, causing you to maybe rethink the subject

despite the potential medical benefits.

Brody’s and Polley’s Clive and Elsa ( a clever homage to The Bride of Franken-

stein) are literally the ultimate masters of genetic engineering. Their mix and match tech-

niques with DNA to create different species for curing diseases has the potential of plac-

ing their financiers, NewStead Inc. at the forefront of the medical world. The only beef

they have?, NewStead won’t permit them to use human DNA for more breakthroughs no

matter how brilliant they are. Naturally, the movie would not be the least interesting if

both scientists didn’t break the rules. Which is exactly what they do, the result being

Dren.

At first she seems quite docile with a few minor behavioral issues, but as time

moves quickly, it becomes apparent that this new “creation” is not exactly what the

the doctors ordered. Frankenstein revisited, in a very surreal way.

Director Vincenzo Natali loves to challenge his characters minds , thus developing

them to the point where you can care what happens to them. He certainly achieved this

in the enigmatic “Cube” and he does the same in Splice. He handles Clive and Elsa like

opposites that attract, the former being slightly submissive to his partner yet the love for

her is always there.

What Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley do for genetic creators, French actress/ model

Delphine Chenac does for the “creature” itself. I had never heard of Ms. Cheneac, so I

looked her up in the Internet Movie Database. Her extensive resume more than justifies

her being selected for the role of Dren. She has that sharp facial expression ability that

translates so verbally, she didn’t have to say a word.

Child actress Abigail Chu was just as convincing as young Dren. And cute too.

From the time you first see her stumbling, trying to adapt to her surroundings and her

new “parents”, you immediately care what happens to this child no matter what she looks

like. She’s dangerous at times, but you have no problem forgiving her right away.

Splice required seven f / x houses for the excellent visuals including the fascina-

ting opening sequence by ChezEddy that draws you into the movies theme immediate-

ly. Most notably is the seamless cgi work of placing Ms Cheneac into a human hybrid

body. It’s as authentic and realistic as it gets when you can actually believe what you’re

looking at could possibly exist

Many iterations of Mary Shelly‘s classic monster tale have been made over the

vast number of years, some good, some not so good. The good ones have always gone

Beyond the monster itself, keeping the science fiction and the drama well balanced.

Splice thankfully, is one of the good ones.