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===Home media===
===Home media===
Splice is set to be released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 5, 2010.<ref>http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Splice&x=0&y=0</ref>
Splice was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 5, 2010.<ref>http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Splice&x=0&y=0</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 17:40, 11 October 2010

This article is about the film. For the process of splicing film, see film stock.
Splice
Final theatrical poster
Directed byVincenzo Natali
Screenplay byVincenzo Natali
Doug Taylor
Antoinette Terry Bryant
Story byVincenzo Natali
Antoinette Terry Bryant
Produced bySteve Hoban
Guillermo del Toro
StarringAdrien Brody
Sarah Polley
Delphine Chanéac
CinematographyTetsuo Nagata
Edited byMichele Conroy
Music byCyrille Aufort
Production
companies
Distributed byDark Castle Entertainment through Warner Bros.
Optimum Releasing (UK)
Madman Entertainment (Australia & New Zealand)
Release dates
  • October 6, 2009 (2009-10-06) (Sitges)
  • June 4, 2010 (2010-06-04) (Canada)
Running time
104 minutes
CountriesCanada
France
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million[2]
Box office$23,609,534[2]

Splice is a 2009 Canadian-French science fiction-horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley, who portray a young scientist couple, choosing to introduce human DNA into their work of splicing animal genes.[3]

Plot

Famous genetic engineers Clive Nicoli (Adrien Brody) and Elsa Kast (Sarah Polley) achieve fame by successfully splicing together the DNA of different animals to create incredible new hybrid animals. Now they want to use human DNA in a hybrid that could revolutionize science and medicine. But the pharmaceutical company that funds their research, N.E.R.D. (Nucleic Exchange Research & Development), forbids it, instead mandating that their department be reorganized to focus on finding & extracting certain proteins from the creatures they have already created. Not wishing to spend all their time engaged in what they consider mundane research for the next 5-10 years, Clive and Elsa secretly conduct their own experiments, blending human DNA with that of other animals.

Though they disagree about actually bringing the hybrid to term, Elsa pushes the issue and she persuades Clive to go along with it, in continued secrecy. They name their creature Dren (nerd backwards), who exceeds their wildest dreams; she begins to grow and learn at an accelerated rate. As their lab becomes exceedingly crowded, and the risk of Dren being discovered increases, they move Dren to Elsa's late mother's farm.

Their work at the company suffers as their attention is focused on Dren. One of the original hybrid animals that they had created, which was originally female, had changed sex unbeknownst to Clive & Elsa since they were distracted. This led to a disastrous presentation during a company shareholders' meeting, when the two original hybrids, previously one male and one female very much in love with each other, became both male, killed each other in front of shareholders and potential investors. Following this meeting, N.E.R.D., found itself in danger of going out of business unless they could find a profitable discovery.

Meanwhile, Dren has become amphibious and omnivorous with a toxic sting and retractable wings coming out of parts of her arm and back. Elsa, who had formed a maternal bond with Dren, changes her mind after Dren shows violent behavior, killing her own pet cat out of spite and assaulting her. She cuts off her stinger and uses organic tissue from it to finally isolate and synthesize a protein they had been searching for.

Soon after, Clive is seduced by Dren and has sex with her, much to Elsa's disgust; during her sexual encounter with Clive, Dren reveals that she had regenerated her stinger. Elsa and Clive have a heated argument about Clive having cheated, when he confronts her, having figured out that she used samples of her own DNA in the creation of Dren. Deciding to deal with Dren, they go back to the farm, only to discover her body in the water tank, apparently dead.

They bury Dren near the farmhouse but before they leave, their boss from pharmaceutical company arrives, having figured out that there was some sort of human hybrid because of the DNA present in the protein they had finally synthesized. Elsa tells her boss she can dig up Dren's body if he really wants to see it. Suddenly, they are attacked by Dren, who was not dead, but apparently in some sort of coma as her body underwent changes that turned her into a male. After killing her boss and Clive's brother, Dren drags Clive into a freezing pond. Elsa pulls him out, but he is unconscious, so Elsa flees. Dren finds her and rapes her. As Dren is raping Elsa, Clive comes to the rescue, impaling Dren with a large sharp branch. Dren kills Clive with a toxic sting, but is dealt a fatal blow by Elsa when she smashes his head with a rock.

Later on, Elsa is seen in the office of the pharmaceutical company's head and is given a mass amount of money in exchange for her silence and taking the experiment to the "next stage". The head of the company then thanks Elsa for the personal risk that she is undergoing. Elsa stands up and is revealed to be pregnant.

Cast

[4]

Production

Splice was written by director Vincenzo Natali and screenwriters Doug Taylor and Antoinette Terry Bryant.[5] The script was originally meant to follow up Natali's Cube (1997), but the budget and restricted technology hindered the project. In 2007, the project entered active development as a 75% Canadian and 25% French co-production, receiving a budget of $26 million.[6] The director described the film: "Splice is very much about our genetic future and the way science is catching up with much of the fiction out there. [This] is a serious film and an emotional one. And there's sex... Very unconventional sex. The centerpiece of the movie is a creature which goes through a dramatic evolutionary process. The goal is to create something shocking but also very subtle and completely believable."[7]

In October 2007, actors Brody and Polley were cast into the lead roles. Production began the following November in Toronto, Ontario.[5] It was aided by Telefilm Canada's funding of US$2.5 million.[8] Filming took place in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario and concluded in February 2008.[6]

In an interview, when asked if there would be any sequels, Natali responded "I don’t think so. It could happen, but it would have required the movie to make a lot of money in the States, but even though the ending of the film appears to be setting up a sequel that was never my intention. All of my films end with a question, and somewhat ambiguously, and they always imply the beginning of another story, I like to leave the audience with something to ponder."[9]

Release

The film premiered on October 6, 2009 at Sitges Film Festival[10], where it won "Best Special Effects" and was in the running for "Best Film", and was part of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.[11] After a bidding war with Apparition,[12] The Weinstein Company,[13] Newmarket Films, First Look Studios, and Samuel Goldwyn Films,[14] Dark Castle Entertainment purchased the film in February 2010.[15] The film received a wide release in the United States on June 4, 2010, with Warner Bros. as distributor.[16][17] The trailer was attached to The Losers.[18]

Box office

The film opened on June 4, 2010 in wide release to a $7.4 million opening weekend in 2,450 theaters, averaging $3,014 per theater.[2]

Critical reception

The film has received generally positive reviews from critics. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 74% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 164 reviews, with an average score of 6.6/10.[19] The critical consensus is: It doesn't take its terrific premise quite as far as it should, but Splice is a smart, well-acted treat for horror fans.[19] Review aggregate Metacritic awarded the film an average score of 65 out of 100 based on 34 reviews, indicating Generally Favorable Reviews.[20]

The Flick Cast said "Splice is funny, frightening, and shocking all at once. It’s a disturbing commentary on where science is heading, and it is not easily shaken off once you leave the theatre." [21]

Home media

Splice was released on DVD and Blu-ray on October 5, 2010.[22]

References

  1. ^ "Splice Set for U.S. Release: Summer date set for Brody sci-fi flick". IGN. 19 March 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Splice (2010) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 June 2010.
  3. ^ New Hi-Res Images From 'Splice'
  4. ^ IMDb Splice (2009)
  5. ^ a b Borys Kit (2007-10-04). "A creature feature for Polley, Brody". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  6. ^ a b Marise Strauss (2007-10-05). "Natali taps Polley, Brody for Splice". Playback. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  7. ^ Ryan Rotten (2007-04-25). "EXCL: Natali Talks Splice!". ShockTillYouDrop.com. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  8. ^ "Telefilm Canada announces funding for 11 English-language projects". Canadian Press. 2007-12-20. Retrieved 2008-01-08.
  9. ^ Jon Lyus (2010-07-22). "Exclusive Interview – Vincenzo Natali Talks Splice, Sex and The Monster of Neuromancer". HeyUGuys. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
  10. ^ "Sitges Film Festival - Splice". Sitges Film Festival.
  11. ^ Sundance '10: 'Splice' Director Vincenzo Natali Blogs
  12. ^ Service deals becoming a hit at Sundance
  13. ^ Sundance '10: Bidding War Over Vincenzo Natali's 'Splice'
  14. ^ Sundance 2010: Splice Object of Service Deal Bidding Battle
  15. ^ Big Sundance Deal Getting Done: 'Splice'
  16. ^ Dark Castle Making Massive Commitment to 'Splice' Release?
  17. ^ Horror Takes on the Summer Blockbusters! Splice Set For Summer Release from Warner
  18. ^ Official Teaser Poster for 'Splice' Introduces Dren
  19. ^ a b "Splice Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  20. ^ "Splice Film Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2010-06-07.
  21. ^ "Splice Review". The Flick Cast. Retrieved 2010-06-05.
  22. ^ http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Splice&x=0&y=0
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