Release Date: April 30, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence including frightening images, a scene of sexuality and some thematic material
Directed by: Nick Hamm
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Greg Kinnear, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Cameron Bright, Jenny Levine, Deborah Odell, Janet Bailey

Plot:
After their young son, Adam (Bright), is killed in a freak accident, a couple (Kinnear, Romijn-Stamos) approach an expert (De Niro) in stem cell research about bringing him back to life through an experimental (and illegal) cloning and regeneration process. When Adam comes back to them, however, he's... different.

Review:
Cloning is a process that is very complicated and not completely assured that the results will succeed. That is one of the things Richard Wells who is played by Robert Deniro tells his patients and their families. In this case, Deniro tells Paul Duncan who is played by Greg Kinnear and Jessie Duncan who is played by Rebecca Romijn-Stamos that it is not one hundred percent sure cloning their child will work.

Godsend doesn't waste time in setting a decent pace to tell its story. Part of what makes it entertaining is the fact that it doesn't make you think twice and delivers plenty of disturbing images, that at times actually work as decent horror. However, those are only section of this film and unfortunately most of it is quite below average and most of all the screenplay wasn't perfected whatsoever.

This film has most of the elements for a psychological horror, but in the end it doesn't know what it wants to do. It gives its audience cheap thrills and scares and at times even a sense of suspense, but it ultimately lacks a place for itself. The direction is somewhat interesting and acceptable and one of the stronger points in the film.

Director Nick Hamm delivers a decent direction and has the right vision for a film like this, but he doesn't lay it all out on the table. One of the problems for this is because of Godsend's script. It featured some interesting ways for this cloning feature, but didn't have enough intelligence to actually give the film its right as a solid experience.

Godsend has its signs of entertainment and there are solid performances all around. Robert Deniro is good as the doctor, Kinnear has a worthy performance and even Stamos delivers a satisfying performance. There's all of this great acting in a mediocre film that truly makes ones head turn away in disgust.

Lately, there has been the need to have children in horrors. Without a doubt it can succeed, just look at The Sixth Sense and The Ring. However, in Godsend there are flaws within the child and it all just seems improvised as there was no place to go. The character in successful children horrors are well developed, and with Godsend it is completely under developed, if not at all.

Now, Godsend is not a complete waste because up to a point its enjoyable. Its incomplete though and that's what sets it aside as nothing but an attempt that ultimately fails. The entire cloning concept needs a stronger premise and Godsend is not one of the better films that involves this. This film should have received more polishing because it's lackluster.

This film concludes with a punch in the face. Its not necessarily a good thing to be punched in the face, but Godsend takes all its potential and interesting ideas and throws it away in the trash. Take for instance all the good actors it has and it doesn't even assure each actor with its rightful deliverance. An odd and not worthwhile experience nonetheless.

Godsend had such an interesting concept, but it wastes it completely. What seemed like a promising film is a below average thriller that should only be witnessed because of its acting and its few unexpected scares. The poor writing for Godsend's screenplay brings the film down some notches. This is a film that could have been something original, different and worthwhile, but instead its very disappointing.