I finally made it out to see
SPLICE and I wasn't disappointed. Well, not entirely.
At first, I have to admit I was a little let down. For some reason - hype, perhaps - I was expecting something in the JAWS range. Suspense, tension and fear. But SPLICE is a little more fun and bubblegum than that and once I settled into that, I enjoyed the film.
The effects were amazing and had me cooing. My mind swirled around the wild visuals and bio-design and I found it to be a super fun experience. The character design was top notch even though I did wonder at times if this was how a spliced together creature would really look. But, after a heartbeat I realized that this wasn't a Nation Geographic special and needed to be given license to play.
The multiple levels of the film were a lot of fun as well. It's science fiction. It's Frankenstein's monster. It's the work of parenthood and the changes and challenges it brings with it. And it's a lot of fun.
I think the first and second acts are grand, but the third act gets a bit dodgy. I found myself slipping away from the fun world they created with some of the turns Vincenzo Natali had tossed in, but rolled with it enough to be pretty satisfied with the film on the whole. Natali gives us MUCH more story than his previous film
CUBE (loved that one) and manages to tell a very engaging tale for the most part.
This really is a science fiction film over horror. While there are horrific happenings and some jump scares, I'd say it was more along the levels of THE FLY sans the extreme body horror elements.
Good times.
