Following the death of their eight year old son on his birthday, Jessie (Romijn-Stamos) and Paul (Kinnear) are befriended by a doctor on the forefront of genetic research (DeNiro) at the height of their mourning. He leads the couple in a desperate attempt to reverse the rules of nature and clone their son. The experiment is successful and under Richard's watchful eye, Adam grows into a healthy and happy young boy, until his 8th birthday. As time goes by, the Duncan's gradually start to see small, subtle differences between the new Adam and the Adam they lost. At the time of the new Adam's eighth birthday, the changes in character are more pronounced. Adam grows distant and fearful as a palpable sense of menace settles within the young boy. This Adam begins to suffer from night terrors and frightening flashbacks as a sinister personality begins to emerge. Paul and Jessie cannot escape the fact that this Adam is different. Terror settles on the couple as they try to come to terms with just what they have done, or what has been done to them. I rented "Godsend" on DVD this afternoon expecting the worst. I was pleasantly surprised.Fantastic performances, an intelligent script, beautiful photography, unpredictable plot twist after the next. A very pleasant surprise indeed, and a very positive step in the world of horror! Sure, it wasn't the least bit scary and the "fright scenes" were entirely generic, but it was a very intelligent film and really kept my attention. Good for anyone looking for a smart, thought-provoking film that doesn't rely on special effects 8/10.
ABOUT THE DVD: Lion's Gate has given "Godsend" a very good treatment. The 2.35:1 widescreen presentation is flawless--beautiful colors, virtually NO compression artifacts, sold blacks, no grain or dirt. Audio is equally impressive. For extras we get a commentary by The director and director of photography. This is an informative track, but it's very drab. Perhaps a couple of cast members could have livened it up a bit. Next up are 4 alternate endings, all of which have their pro's and con's, though it's obvious why they were cut. A commentary buy the writer and director is also available for all 4. last of all are some storyboards, which I didn't have time to watch. The film is also adequately closed captioned. My rating for the DVD: 7/10.
ABOUT THE DVD: Lion's Gate has given "Godsend" a very good treatment. The 2.35:1 widescreen presentation is flawless--beautiful colors, virtually NO compression artifacts, sold blacks, no grain or dirt. Audio is equally impressive. For extras we get a commentary by The director and director of photography. This is an informative track, but it's very drab. Perhaps a couple of cast members could have livened it up a bit. Next up are 4 alternate endings, all of which have their pro's and con's, though it's obvious why they were cut. A commentary buy the writer and director is also available for all 4. last of all are some storyboards, which I didn't have time to watch. The film is also adequately closed captioned. My rating for the DVD: 7/10.