Synopsis. Clive Nicoli and Elsa Kast, a couple of scientists working for a pharmaceutical company, have had some success in making primitive man-made organisms that they hope will provide new therapies for humankind. They decide to take it to the next level and add of lot of human DNA to the mix. The creature grows rapidly, passing through a set of unattractive forms before becoming a lovely humanoid with a venomous tail and a turbulent adolescent's attitude. Things go wrong with Clive and Elsa's simpler creations at a shareholder's meeting, foreshadowing the trouble to come with their humanoid creation.
Finally, we realize that we are watching a retelling of Pygmalion, as both Clive and Elsa end up having sex with their creation, Clive in a fit of passion, Elsa after the creature changes sex and rapes her. The not-too-surprising outcome looks like a setup for a sequel, which fortunately for popular culture was never made.
We have to say something nice about this film. The characters of Clive Nicoli and Elsa Kast are good. These are not typical movie-cliche scientists, but quirky individuals, ambitious, conflicted, and complicated, with an innate curiosity and distrust of authority. Clive cruises through his fast-paced lab work in a white lab coat adorned with colorful patches. He aspires not just to be published in scientific journals, but to make the cover of WIRED. He and his partner Elsa struggle with their career goals and relationship issues, complicated by the presence of the creature. Although the scientific premise of this film is ludicrous, the scientist characters are real people.
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Genetically engineered organisms in industry. In the beginning of the film, Clive and Elsa have just produced a second man-made organism spliced together out of the genomes of other organisms. The two creatures, named Fred and Ginger, are peculiar slug-like things. The stated purpose of creating these life forms is to produce new proteins that might aid in the development of new treatments for disease. By the middle of the film, the temperamental creatures exhibit behavioral problems, attacking each other at a public meeting using the venomous barbs with which they have conveniently been equipped.
Scientific accuracy. Recombinant DNA technology dates from the mid-1970s. The first genetically-engineered bacterium capable of producing human insulin was made in 1977; by 1982, the first human insulin produced by recombinant DNA technology reached the market. This bit of history puts the premise of Splice in an odd light. The commercial production of proteins using recombinant DNA in bacteria, yeast, mammals, and plants is a mature industry, decades old at the time that this film was made. There are plenty of well-behaved experimental organisms suitable for the problems outlined briefly by Clive and Elsa.
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