Splice

SPOILER ALERT. I'm disappointed in this movie but likely not for the reasons everyone else is posting here. Nothing grossed me out, it's a sci-fi so one should expect oddities. But what surprised me is the incredibly simple and implausible plot line. Since when are scientists "cool", dressed funky, and don't wear white lab coats for sterility? And since when do genetic splicing labs not have security? No matter how high your clearance, can specimens be slipped out the back door into a van for a quick getaway... The real horror in this film is the unconscionable behavior of these two scientists and their treatment towards their created specimen. But I never felt scared or disgusted because the plot was so silly. These two scientists carry on as though they're only answerable to themselves, the director never gives his audience the feeling these characters operate within a context. And Fred and Ginger? Wtf. I laughed out LOUD a number of times because at times it seemed the plot had turned into some maudlin examination of right and wrong with characters gone mad. Would you clap, as an audience member, when the curtains are drawn back to reveal Fred and Ginger? Not bloody likely (no pun intended) My point isn't that Fred & Ginger don't belong.. my point is that sci-fi like every other genre, has to give it's characters motivation, including the audience. It's never made clear what pretty Fred and Ginger offer to the public. That might have been demonstrated on the stage for us to get the connection. Could the writer not think of a better plot to explain why their gender change was unobserved? To neglect character motivation, is a huge flaw in any plot. What motivates Adrien Brody's character to have sex with a genetically created mutant... um, you're gonna have to do better than that to sell me on the likelihood of that happening. This movie came so close, but really missed its mark, in my opinion.