Duckyworth's Thoughts: Splice ~ 2009

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Greetings, gruesome ghosts and gory ghouls.... :iconevilgrin2plz:

Yep, even though Hallowe’en has been and gone, I still have lots of ideas for horror films that I would like to review, so, like many horror film killers who stay around longer than they should, I will be continuing my horror film reviews into November..... :evillaugh:

So, don’t go away, as the HORRENDOUS HORRIFIC HALLOWE’EN OF HORRENDOUS HORROR: THE REVENGE won’t die just yet... It’s staying around to send more bone-chilling terrors your way..... :iconprussiaplz:

Speaking of which, today’s film will be a horror film that not only raises a lot of questions, but it’s one of the more unnerving films I’ve seen recently... And judging by the fact that I saw Hellraiser without flinching, and I also sat through the numerous squeamish terrors of Felidae, that’s saying a LOT... :fear:

So, let’s see what the terrors of SCIENCE can bring into the world...... in today’s film... SPLICE. :iconwoooplz:

 

Directed by Vincenzo Natali, a member of the art department of the Beetlejuice cartoon, The Adventures of Tintin, Babar, Eek the Cat, Fievel’s American Tails, Rupert and an episode of Tales from the Cryptkeeper, and the storyboard artist of Ginger Snaps :wow: , this film raises some thoughts about whether you can TRULY make an experiment well and truly human – you can try to make the experiment more humanoid, but on the inside, is it still a monster? Or is it simply acting like nature demanded? Is the creature TRULY a monster... or does it truly know any better than how it’s instincts tell it to act? And.... should we REALLY call an experiment IT? :evileye:

All scientists want to make brilliant breakthroughs, like making new life, don’t they? However, an ethical question will always remain – do you consider it an experiment, or a new LIFE you’re working on? :wow: And this film is an example of how dangerous it can be when your experiment is given a chance... Sure, it’s a good thing to give it a life of its own, but when you really come down to it.... Is  it still an animal, or not? :fear: It also raises the point that even if we put our all into making an experiment in the way the want, it still may have unexpected results that we just can’t comprehend.... And as a chemistry student, I know that comment is true...

So, let us see if the creature in this film is just a misunderstood creation, a TRUE monster, of if she's going to end up as crazy as Batty from FernGully... :iconbattyscreamplz:

 

So, after the REALLY awesome opening credits (which reminds me quite a lot of the first Dead Space game for some reason – maybe it’s because it looks like the medical lab where the babies are being grown.... :lol: And the music is also pretty creepy and sounds quite similar as well....), we learn that our story revolves around two genetics scientists – Clive and Elsa. Extremely skilled in their field, they have been able to create a new creature unknown to man, which creates a kind of protein which is extremely valuable, and could make them and the corporate firm they work for a huge profit....

Mr Lickboot: ‘We’ve GOT to have..... MONEY...’

Cat in the Hat (Michael Myers version) :‘Cha-ching!’

However, after they suggest adding human DNA to their creature’s genetic material to the board that mans their research, they are told that the ethical outcomes would be too extreme and they’re just told to extract the protein... So, the two take it on themselves to add human DNA to their creation’s DNA.... And they create a being that they name Dren – the name backwards of the company they work in – ‘Nucleic Exchange Research + Development’ – NERD. :rofl:

However, the way that they try to choose between whether Dren is their experiment, or another life, begins to get the way of their own relationship.... And also, they soon learn that they STILL don’t know all that there is to know about making life, as certain changes take place in Dren that they never would have imagined.... :ohnoes:

 

Some parts of the film may seem glanced over and rushed.... I will admit that, but still, it is still an interesting film, that I feel may actually be a little underappreciated... :aww:

 

Elsa, played by Sarah Polley (Dawn of the Dead) is..... well, let’s be honest, almost like Kendra Daniels from Dead Space..... :hmm: Almost every time she appears on screen, I can’t help but feel nervous.... The way that she looks at Dren throughout the film – when they make Dren, when she ..... Okay, at the start of the film, it isn’t too bad.... And I will admit, I was actually pretty afraid when she started going into anaphylactic shock after being bitten by Dren..... It’s nowhere NEAR as funny as when Sam Sparks got scratched by peanut brittle... :fear:

But to be fair, when Elsa shows Clive her old home, a farm that she used to live on, we can see that her childhood wasn’t exactly a happy one... Her bedroom isn’t exactly a five-star hotel room.... Let’s just say it makes the living quarters of Linguini from Ratatouille look hospitable.... ^^; The barn she lives in is, I have to admit, a pretty cool setup… :wow: But trust me, if they see any turkey versions of Oswald Cobblepot from Batman Returns walking about… That’s because it looks quite a bit like that barn from ThanksKilling…. :lol: Either that, or they probably have mutant haystacks jumping about, a talking paintcan and brush, and a hillbilly pitchfork... Conkers Bad Fur Day references, by the way. :meow:

Now, I’m sure that the actress is a nice woman…. I’m sure she’s very kind, but if you know what I mean, it’s kind of like seeing Jack Nicholson’s face – it just seems like an actor who’s MADE for a role that causes you to feel slightly uneasy…. If you know what I mean there… ^^; Then again, I’m not the most attractive guy around…. ^^;

But anyway, back to Elsa….. If you watch later scenes where she starts snapping at Dren…. You can see where I’m coming with both the erratic changes in Elsa and Clive’s feelings towards Dren and why Elsa makes me feel a little bit uncomfortable at times, can’t you? It almost feels like that at times they skipped a page in the script, it seems to be pretty inconsistent…. :hmm:

The first time we get something like this is when she takes away Dren’s cat, saying, with a horrible expression – you can’t always get what you want.... :iconshockedfaceplz:

I mean…… WOW. :fear: I can’t believe I haven’t used this next running joke yet relating to Elsa, but here we go - DOUCHE. :XD:

Oh, speaking of which.... after Clive realises Elsa put her DNA into Dren, Elsa tells Dren that they’re a part of each other – literally – and she brings back the cat from earlier, and then says a pretty stupid thing – ‘It’s nice to have a pet.’ :sarcasticclap:

Dren, understandably in rage, then kills the cat with her stinger.... I bet the cat’s final thoughts were – ‘I gave up being an extra in Felidae for this?’ :XD: After a slap from Elsa :o – Dren pins the older Sam Sparks down and uses her tail to steal Elsa’s key to the barn, wanting to get outside.... But then.... we get the most HORRIFYING scene in the whole film.... :icondoomed3plz:

And no, it’s not really THAT violent a scene, but Elsa does something absolutely HORRIBLE in it... She restrains Dren to a table, and says into an audio log that anything that makes her look human should be removed.... She strips Dren of her clothing and make-up, through some suitably uncomfortable camera angles, and then... with a tray of medical equipment, CUTS OFF DREN’S STINGER!

I mean it, I felt REALLY uncomfortable watching this.... especially with Dren’s body movements, the slow movement of the scalpel, and the camera angles.... Why is it that I get the feeling that Elsa is one of the people behind CUPCAKES? :iconpinkamenaplz: Perhaps Pinkamena took notes, this scene is JUST as messed up.... :fear:

After Elsa left, I just wanted to SLAP her... :x See why she reminds me of Kendra Daniels from Dead Space?

 

Clive, played by Adrien Brody (The Pianist, King Kong remake, Predators, Fantastic Mr Fox), probably goes through the most strange changes considering his emotions for Dren.... At first, he wants nothing to do with her, and when Dren has a fever, he tries to drown her to put her out of her misery.... But then when Elsa thinks he’s killed her, it turns out that Dren can breathe underwater.... But we’re not entirely sure if he wanted to really save her or not, as he DOES say that he realised that Dren has amphibious lungs...

By the way, when we see Clive and Elsa address the press conference, am I the only one who gets reminded of Elvis when he says ‘Thank you very much’ in that way? The way he says it reminds me so much of Elvis. :XD:

Speaking of Elvis, he sure knows how to dance.... :D In a later scene, Clive goes to see Dren, and in a pretty cute moment, he teaches Dren how to dance – I love Dren’s chirping of joy. :aww: But of course..... it becomes a little bit..... concerning when Clive realises that Dren was created from Elsa’s DNA... You see, Elsa originally said the DNA was from an anonymous donor, but then, after seeing Dren’s eyes close up, he realises that Elsa put her own DNA into Dren. But then, he says putting herself into the experiment is immoral, and.... I’m sorry, the way he says it... It’s another example of a scene I feel had a few lines cut out – it just doesn’t seem... whole, if you know what I mean. :shrug:

:iconmakeuswholeplz::iconsaysplz:MAKE US WHOLE!

 

And..... for scientists, these two commit one or two pretty dumb moves here and there.... For example, when Clive is opening the bag to save Elsa, he uses the scalpel to open it AND THEN PUTS THE DIRTY SCALPEL IN HIS MOUTH. :iconwthplz:

Clever... :sarcasticclap: Come on.... It’s not exactly something you’d WANT to put in your mouth.... :hmm: Oh, and even worse, we never see him cleaning his mouth out afterwards... I mean, we never saw them talk about whether the material is toxic....

Also, they keep talking about Dren as if she’s just an experiment, but then, the next second, they love her – then they hate her.... And... yeah, my biggest problem in this film is that they go back and forth SO MUCH between this throughout the whole film that it begins to get a bit annoying.... Come on, I know that scientists change their minds about their experiments a lot during the course of the project... But this is really pushing it....

Good lord, these two alternate back and forth between liking and hating Dren almost as much as Bella Swann alternates between Edward and Jacob.... ^^; And even worse, when they first see Dren, Elsa seems to be the kinder one who is more understanding of Dren, as Clive wants to gas Dren and knock her out with a pole, but then as time goes on, it kind of goes through a role reversal... It gets pretty inconsistent... :hmm:

Then, after Dren unfurls her wings and is about to leave, Clive says ‘we love you’ and in a cute moment, Dren hugs Clive.... Damn, those little chirping noises Dren makes are cute... :love:

Oh, and speaking of stupid moves that these two do, there’s a pretty.... uncomfortable scene where after putting Dren to bed, Elsa and Clive begin to........ er.... make whoopee.. ^^; Yeah, I know I always end up talking about this kind of thing in reviews, but I can’t help – it’s always been something I find myself talking about, it’s like the mean-spirited prejudice scenes I’ve talked about... :shrug:

But yeah.... this is pretty... gratuitous, to say the least.... At least it’s between two humans, instead of what we got in ThanksKilling... ^^; And of course, Dren watches them doing it... :o

......Ooooh, this is awkward.... :lol:

It leads to an even MORE disturbing scene later... :fear: More on that later....

 

The effects on Dren are pretty awesome, in my opinion. I also really like the age transitions – how her limbs and body begin growing, she starts wearing clothes, and at times, like with CLU from Tron Legacy, as the film goes on, you can’t tell it’s CGI at times. :clap: And she is also pretty cute – you end up feeling really sorry for the poor thing – kind of like Mewtwo from Pokemon The First Movie, you feel sorry for what she’s going through, just living through life dubbed as an experiment.... :aww:

Her name comes from, as I said before, NERD spelt backwards... :lol: Of course, as is par with the inconsistent feelings Elsa and Clive have towards Dren, at first Clive says Elsa shouldn’t name her – treating Dren like a pet...

:iconmikewazowskiplz::iconsaysplz: You’re not supposed to name it... Once you name it, you get ATTACHED to it....

As she reaches adulthood, she looks even more realistic, and I REALLY love the performance of the actress playing her – Delphine Chanéac (she’s appeared in a lot of French films :D ). :clap: She plays the role so well – playing the curious animal nature of this poor creature.... And I’m not sure if it’s due to effects, but Dren is pretty acrobatic in that scene in the barn when she hangs upside down from the roofbeam... :D

When she grows older, I love the way that she innocently smiles at Clive and Elsa after they see her mauling and eating a rabbit.... Oooh dear, so THAT’S what became of half of those Efrafa rabbits in Watership Down after they tried to chase Bigwig... :XD: The constant unexpected actions and movements, as well as her curious nature, the way that her scenes are all handled without any dialogue, but with a few animal like noises here and there, and the use of the beautiful music, which, again, reminds me quite a bit of Dead Space for some reason, makes her quite a sweet character.... And you actually find yourself feeling quite sorry for the poor thing..... :(

But I think the way that she just GRABS the cat she finds and just zooms off with it shows she hasn’t much of an understanding of how to properly treat pets.... In a way, if she was represented as a cat.... I think she would similar to Felicity... :love:

:blush: Sorry.....

Anyhoo, another thing I really like is how she communicates via scrabble tiles – luckily, she doesn’t use any Unown tiles from Spell of the Unown..... We don’t need the Crystal Empire taking over.... :XD: I also really love the design of her when she first has her wings and frills unfurled…. Kind of like Timothy Green but MUCH more impressive – and minus the leaves on his ankles. :lol:

Plus, liking the…. I don’t know, what are they supposed to be –Skittles? :icondoomed2plz: - Skittles is a cute little tidbit to her diet – but I don’t blame her for not wanting to eat that….. Slimer goop…. ^^; I also like the drawings she does... Her drawings remind me of the ones I made when I was in primary school.... you should have seen my self portrait...:D

And, wouldn’t you know it, that one part where she spied on Clive and Elsa getting it on :o comes back to haunt Clive later, as after Dren has her tail chopped off, Clive goes to look for Dren, and after a pretty awesome way that Dren sneaks up on him, they then proceed to…… You can probably guess if I tell you it’s as uncomfortable as that scene with Francis and slut-cat (oh, sorry, Nhozemphtekh… :laughing:) from Felidae.. You’ll probably guess what they do next….. :faint: I’m... guessing that the uneasy music is VERY fitting..... As well as some pretty cool ways to show Dren giving into her animal instincts, I will admit.... We also see Dren grow her stinger back, and we get an even MORE awkward interruption.... Elsa WALKS IN ON THEM! ^^;

Paint pot from Conker’s Bad Fur Day :iconsaysplz: What are ya doin’? AAcchhheeheeheee! You stupid bastard! Ahhyeeeehehehehe!

And Elsa’s reaction is perfect.... I’d run a mile from that too! I mean, they could at least choose a bed... not on a barn FLOOR... Pretty unkempt... :XD: And then Clive runs out after her with his shirt still off... Okay, is this meant to be shocking or funny? It looks like something from an adult sitcom now... :lol:

But Elsa says that Clive has become something sick – WAIT. :iconwthplz: HE’S become something sick? HE’S become something sick?! Look who’s talking, woman who ties down poor splice creatures and cuts their tails off! Hypocrite.... :iconshockedfaceplz: Luckily, when Elsa says ‘you’re in no position to talk to me about right and wrong’, Clive correctly responds, ‘And you ARE?’ :XD:

It turns out that Elsa may have made Dren because she would be afraid to lose control of a real child, but somehow, she STILL says she loves Dren... :iconwhatdaplz: ER, YEAH... In the same way that Alameda Slim ‘loves’ people who call his yodelling singing... :iconfacepalmplz: But at least Elsa suddenly receives guilt for what she did, when they both say that they maimed Dren and locked her up.... But then, after Elsa says she synthesised the protein, BOTH of them say that now the experiment is over, they now want to KILL Dren.... :ohnoes: Wow, so now BOTH of them are being homicidal maniacs... Wonderful. :iconfacepalmplz: Maybe part of the film’s reason for doing this is trying to make us ask who the real monster is.... The creators or the creation. :hmm: Which isn’t a bad question to raise, but still, I still feel that some things get rushed a bit...

 

With Dren, most of the suspense that we get out of her is because we’re simply not sure what she’ll do next…. I will admit, I thought they were over-using her constantly running off into different places when I first saw this film… But when I saw it again, you have to bear in mind that there are just so many new and different things around her, so it makes sense for her to be always doing unexpected things… :aww: But still, I would be lying if I said that the first few times I saw her do this, I felt a little bit unnerved… For example, when she grabbed the cat for the first time, I was beginning to think – would she do what she did with that rabbit from earlier? :fear: And in the scene where Clive is checking the cameras in the barn, you keep thinking Dren is going to jump forward into the camera... But we get something even MORE creepy.... As Clive puts his hand on the monitor, Dren touches the place where his hand is! :o And next thing we know, when Clive and Elsa look for Dren, they learn that Dren, due to her accelerated aging rate, is dying.... :cries: And then, after they bury her.... We see her go all ParaNorman on us and rise from her grave.... But now, Dren has converted into a male!

............Wait, WHAT. :iconwhatdaplz:

Gavin, Clive’s brother, and Barlow, Clive and Elsa’s employer, come to confront them after discovering human DNA in the protein sample Elsa gave them, but then, Barlow and Gavin are killed by the now male Dren, and Dren really finds some pretty cool places to throw his victims... :o

Oh, and speaking of stupid moves, Clive accidentally loses his torch in a lake, and goes to retrieve it with a stick... Er, Elsa actually makes some good points when she says you have to leave, Clive.... And, wouldn’t you know it, Dren was waiting for them, and pulls Clive under. :facepalm:

Clive is stunned, and we see Dren rise from the water in a creepyway that reminds me of that bald guy from the beginning of Prometheus... :lol: Oh, and then, upon seeing Elsa, he leaps after her, and upon catching her (she decides to hide in a... not THAT well covered thorn bush... Just remember what happened to that girl in Evil Dead who came into contact with vines, Elsa... :hmm:  - oh, and then she hits her head on a branch... Well, at least she didn’t take the Dog Soldiers route and run into one that would impale her ^^; ) – after what I will admit is a pretty tense chase scene, he proceeds to.. you guessed it... More gratuitous sex scenes! :dummy: And WOW, is this one creepy... Somehow, having Dren sound like a Cenobite makes it even MORE disturbing.... ^^;

Clive comes to stab Dren with a spear.... which Dren somehow survives :iconbrainfreeze3plz: – My GOD – this is even MORE impressive that Claudandus being able to talk for a while after being disembowled! But of course, Clive gets attacked by Dren... but then, Elsa comes to the rescue, and then, after seeing Dren stab Clive, smashes Dren’s head with a rock... Ouch... What a way to go... :x

 

One main PROBLEM that I have with Dren is that, like Ginger did earlier in the film, she goes through a sudden gender change – AGAIN, I suppose it’s got something to do with some of the DNA she had put into her, but I can’t help it – like that horrible cube climax in Destiny Deoxys, it just seems to come out of nowhere…. But how is it that the spliced together mixture of DNA somehow looks MORE appealing then Deoxys? Because it’s DEOXYS. :iconohnoesplz:

But still, I start off the film feeling really sorry for her because of what she’s going through, but then, when she changes gender, all of the earlier pity is gone…:no: I guess that the film is trying to make us feel all kinds of different emotions – some would think that Dren is a monster, some think she’s tragic all the way through – but for me, I’m not sure WHAT to think at this point….. Unless the fact that when she turns into a man and then becomes savage is trying to be sexist, but that’s very unlikely…. Still, it’s one of the things in this film that I feel should have been developed more…. :hmm:

 

After the climax of the film, we see later, Joan informs Elsa that Dren's body contained numerous biochemical compounds that the company began filing patents for. She offers Elsa a large sum of money to continue her experiments – as long as she keeps the experiments secret, and Elsa, who is now PREGNANT - accepts. :ohnoes:

So, wait.... If Dren was made from her own DNA, does that technically mean that Elsa did it with.... herself? :confused:

I mean... WOW, seeing that and hearing her final line, that is quite a downer..... And the line at the end that Elsa leaves ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ seems to actually sum up quite a bit of what scientists may think when conducting genetics experiments like this, especially in quite a few films and games I’ve played... They have to keep optimistic in case of error, and work around it.... But an error as large as THIS.... Damn, this won’t be easy to overlook... :o

Oh, and as the film cuts to black, we hear a steady inhuman heartbeat..... Daargh... :ohnoes:

 

By the way, where’s SECURITY in this building they work in?! :iconwthplz: We see the brother of Clive BREAK INTO the room Clive and Elsa are in..... Where are the security cameras, or guards... HELLO?! This kind of place should have the security measures that Edna Mode has in The Incredibles.... THAT’S suitable security for this place, not just a simple lock and key mechanism that’s easy enough for someone like Alvin from ParaNorman can break into... :hmm:

 

I really find myself liking the cinematography and visual effects in the opening sequence and first scene – when we see the little... blob.... thing – technical term there ^^; - in a way, it reminds me a LOT of the opening to Fallout 3, where your character is born – they even have a bit where the BP of someone is dropping fast – but luckily, this time, after the defibrillator is used, life goes on... :w00t:

And of course, seeing that it ISN’T a baby, but instead a... blob... ^^; - named Fred... Is just adorable.... They look like.... crawling tongues, don’t they? :lol: Anyway, seeing the two imprint is also just adorable.... :squee:

One bit that got me REALLY freaked out in this is the scene where Fred and Ginger are shown in a publicized unveiling …. But then… for some reason :confused: …. The female one changes genders into a boy… and these two male creatures have been confined to a very small space… And because of this, they start butchering each other…. And their tank gets knocked over, and blood spurts over people in the front row.... A splash the guy from Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is probably glad DIDN’T splash him.... Looks like Carrie isn’t the only one who has been coated with blood in front of a large crowd.... :fear: It reminds me of Dead Space for some reason, again, but this one part still manages to be pretty creepy for me…. Probably because something that was so cute turned into such violent creatures…. :fear: And because Elsa and Clive have been studying Dren, they’ve been neglecting Fred and Ginger…. But still, Clive and Elsa don’t really seem to.... panic... They just look at it with negative acceptance... :confused: Maybe because they care more about Dren? Hmm, a pretty good way to say that if you focus on one experiment too much and neglect your others, the consequences can be dire.... I think the devouring of the baby from Bram Stoker’s Dracula has been surpassed in disturbing factor…. :ohnoes: I mean it… at least we didn’t SEE the baby getting eaten…. Here, we see the blooded paste that’s left of the two composite lifeforms…. :iconkeanugaaarghplz:

 

I love their boss’ summing up of the incident – ‘It’s a f***ing disaster.’ :lol: By the way, doesn’t their boss sound a bit like Colette from Ratatouille? I’m not just saying that because of the strong French accent, I just think they REALLY sound alike. :)

And because they created Dren from Fred and Ginger’s DNA…. Guess what happens to Dren? :fear:

Yep, Dren undergoes sequential hermaphroditism (technical term :nerd: ) as well, and becomes a male in the climax…

But still, I still find myself questioning them changing genders.. :confused: I guess that some animals can do that, but still, for some reason, I find myself wishing that they could have explained that a little bit better…..

 

By the way, I LOVE the music in this film.... The opening credits music, the music when we see Dren stroke the cat and observe the world around her, the creepy music.... It’s actually hauntingly beautiful, if you get what I mean by that. :aww: I know that when I talk about music in my film reviews, I don’t often go into much detail... But I can’t REALLY do music justice – the only REAL way to understand the music in a film is to listen to it yourself. :aww: But let me just say again, that the music reminds me a LOT of the Dead Space games, and it successfully captures all of the horror music feels – being eeringly beautiful, and pretty scary at the correct times. :aww: Oh, and of course, I also find myself liking the music in the scenes where Clive and Elsa are dancing, and when Clive and Elsa are getting in the mood to make Dren. :)

 

As I’ve said before, I LOVE the special effects in this film – on Dren especially. :aww: Again, like with CLU in Tron Legacy, you can never really TELL if it’s CGI or a real actor at times. :aww: The effects on Fred and Ginger are also pretty impressive. :aww: But once again, I may be incorrect on saying this, but this feels like an example of a film where they focused more on making Dren more realistic then fine-tuning the story.... Don’t get me wrong, the story isn’t BAD, it just feels a bit rushed and incomplete in places.... :hmm: The effects are really good, but I still think that some of the character personality changes and the story elements shouldn’t have been just glanced over... :hmm: But at least while there are some unexplained elements, it isn’t as bad as the rubbish story and characters in Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Ga’Hoole... :no:

 

:iconoctodogphotography::iconsaysplz: Should be good! Do you plan to review Halloween? :)

:iconvindurza::iconsaysplz: what foul thing has science wrought O_O

 

So, in my overall opinion, this film seems to be a little bit like Tron Legacy – even though it’s a shame that some plot points were simply glanced over, the effects are interesting, I like the interesting concepts and ideas, and overall, the film is good – but it has some noticeable flaws. But it’s certainly creative, and it does make some very interesting points and ideas. :D And of course, it manages to be pretty suspenseful and creepy... But the more creepy elements for me are still the more... suggestive scenes... ^^;

But I will say this – do they even say what that important protein they’re trying to synthesise is actually FOR?! It may not be that important in the long run, and I may have missed this when I was watching the film, but did they actually tell us what the protein is actually FOR?! :confused: But that isn’t really that important when you think about the problems in the plot caused by Clive and Elsa’s constant changes of opinions towards Dren, and the rushed changes of gender.... :hmm:

Apart from those flaws, which are unfortunately noticeable, I would definitely recommend that you check it out when you get a chance. Even though some of the characters and story elements are rushed, it is really entertaining watching Dren observe the world around her - she’s probably the most interesting genetic mutation since Mewtwo from Pokemon The First Movie... But at least Dren doesn’t undergo committing homicide! :ohnoes: And at least it makes sense why Dren, after changing gender, starts attacking Clive, Gavin and Barlow – like many other male animals, he’s simply taking out any competition for a mate.........

 

So, in a way, the film does raise the question about how human a genetic experiment can really be? Giving the creation a human face and appearance may not make any difference, when you get down to it, Dren is still an animal.... And also, it says that no matter how much control you try to have over an experiment, there will ALWAYS be unexpected events that can never be explained by science... In a way, maybe THAT is trying to be the film’s reason for not TRULY explaining a lot of changes for the scientist’s feelings towards their creation, AND for the changes in Dren – you can never truly REMAIN happy with your experiment forever, there will always be something that could change your feelings towards it, and some things just can’t be explained by science. :aww: Unless you’re Victor from Frankenweenie – he’ll remain loving towards Sparky forever.... I hope. :aww:

 

Sadly, the film was a failure at the box office.... I actually think this film is pretty underrated, and even though it was a horror film and had some disturbing scenes, in a way, I enjoyed watching it. :aww:

 

In conclusion, this film is a kind of guilty pleasure for me – again, some noticeable flaws are there, but the ideas the film has, the music, the suspense, and of course, Dren :D are enough to make this film worth watching. If you don’t get TOO put off by some.... scenes I’ve talked about being pretty... wrong, I think you’ll take something memorable from this. And the fact it ends on a melancholy bittersweet note actually reminds me quite a bit of Ginger Snaps.... except that giving birth to a creature that you’ve literally impregnated yourself with is an even more creepy final ending.... :ohnoes: And the tagline being ‘They created a monster’ makes you ask ‘who are the REAL monsters?’ Dren.... or the scientists that made life and are using her as an experiment? :evileye:

So, if any of you reading this takes up a career in genetic engineering, DON’T do what these scientists do... Unless you want to end up being at risk of giving birth to a creature that even The Elephant Man would be afraid of.... :ohnoes:

 

Sorry for this one taking a while – I’ve been playing Pokemon Y every night, and now that I’ve completed it, I’ll be drawing some comics for it soon. :D

And the HORRENDOUSLY HORRIFIC HALLOWE’EN OF HORRENDOUS HORROR will still be going on over November as I promised. :iconprussiaplz:

Perhaps some of you remember my review last year of the 1922 horror classic Nosferatu.... Well, my next review will be for the 1979 Werner Herzog directed remake of the same name – Nosferatu.

 

Is it as good as the original? Or does the original still reign strong as the best Nosferatu incarnation? :D

We shall see soon..... :evileye:

 

COMING DUCKYWORTH'S THOUGHTS –

:iconbluebulletplz:Nosferatu (1979)

:iconbluebulletplz: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

:iconbluebulletplz: Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein

:iconbluebulletplz: Dead Space Aftermath :no:

:iconbluebulletplz: Smiley :ohnoes:

:iconbluebulletplz: Brain Dead

:iconbluebulletplz: The Frighteners

:iconbluebulletplz: Beetlejuice

:iconbluebulletplz: Something Wicked This Way Comes

:iconbluebulletplz:We're Back - A Dinosaur Story

:iconbluebulletplz:The Princess and the Goblin

:iconbluebulletplz:Twilight – New Moon (:icontwilightsucksplz:)

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Comments14
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tomhur's avatar
This film makes me uncomfortable....like every time I read about it I start feeling all lightheaded and sick. I haven't seen it and I hope I never have too. 

Nice review though I'm not knocking that.