Splice Review
What an incredible movie. Easily the best movie I’ve seen all year, and an instant minor classic, if not an instant full-blown sci-fi classic.
You know how Alien has those three or four WOW moments? I’m thinking of the chest-burster, the reveal of the alien all grown up, the dripping acid through the whole ship.
Well Splice has more of those. I’m serious. Maybe this is just the post-viewing buzz, but I’d put Splice right up against Alien, and I’d take Splice.
The mark for me of a really great film is one that refuses to settle where others would stop. Take for example the train sequence in the classic The Fugitive. It’s bad enough there’s been a shootout and someone is dying, but THEN the bus is on the train tracks, and THEN Kimble barely gets away, and THEN the train derails and chases him.
I don’t want to spoil any of the surprises, but I was really pleased that Splice had a number of moments like that. It took some creative chances that I was stunned to see in a mainstream release.
It’s also an impeccably well-constructed story, with a lot of what we call “plants” in screenwriting (setting something up early and paying it off later) that are subtle enough that when the payoff comes you remember, but not so overt you see what’s up next coming.
I was surprised many times during this film.
It also has the good sense to have a sense of humor about itself, most notably during the aftermath of one of the biggest shocker scenes in the film.
I laughed, I was moved, I was impressed, I’m in awe.
Go see this movie.