'Splice': Thriller brings a human/animal hybrid to life

It's been 192 years since Mary Shelley published her gothic masterpiece "Frankenstein," and the versatility of Shelley's "modern Prometheus" mythology continues unabated. "Splice" presents the latest variation on Shelley's cautionary tale of obsessed scientists vainly attempting to do God's work, and while it's far from perfect, it's a timely and well-considered thriller about the scarier aspects of genetic engineering.

We're already living in a world where cloning and genetic hybrids are commonplace and controversial; "Splice" ups the ante with a pair of reckless scientists whose gene-splicing experiment goes terribly awry. Instead of Dr. Frankenstein's "used parts" method of re-

animating dead tissue, they're creating a new human/animal hybrid, unprepared for what happens when their "baby" starts to grow.

Clive (Adrien Brody) and Elsa (Sarah Polley) are genetic engineers on a mission: When their corporate sponsors forbid their promising hybrid research, they go solo to create Dren (that's "nerd" backward, played by newcomer Delphine Chanéac), a human/amphibian hybrid who grows rapidly, learns quickly and develops a startling variety of nonhuman features. If you're wondering about parental lineage, well, let's just say that Elsa has added a personal component to their ill-fated experiment.

Perhaps best known for his 1997 sci-fi thriller "Cube," genre specialist Vincenzo Natali does an excellent job of handling the ethical and moral issues related to gene-splicing. From helpless infancy to dangerous maturity, Dren's accelerated growth adds an emotional element to Clive and Elsa's challenging new "parenthood." As Dren's hybrid features emerge and develop (achieved through a seamless combination of Chanéac's performance and digital wizardry), Brody and Polley lend their considerable intelligence to delicate scenes that would've seemed silly in the hands of lesser talents.

Even then, "Splice" makes regrettable missteps that will have many viewers (especially real scientists) laughing in derision, especially when Clive's curiosity gets the best of him. Natali takes most of "Splice" very seriously — and that's appropriate to the issues involved — but it's anybody's guess whether audiences will do the same.

Jeff Shannon: j.sh@verizon.net