Godsend (PG-13, 2004)

Paul (Greg Kinnear) and Jessie (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) are the loving parents of Adam (Cameron Bright). He is killed just after his 8th birthday and a former professor of Jessie's named Richard (Robert DeNiro) makes them a stunning offer. If they give him access to some of Adam's cells within 72 hours, he will use them to create an exact replica of Adam. If they agree, they will have to leave their jobs and home and cut off all ties with friends and family, because no one must know. At first, it seems like a dream come true. Paul and Jessie have a beautiful new home and they have their son back. But when Adam turns 8, he begins seeing things and his behavior is increasingly aggressive, even disturbed. They take him to see "Uncle Richard," who says that "things could change once he crossed the age when he died." They knew exactly what to expect up for the first 7 years, but "we don't have a map past age 8."

Once Adam turns eight, GODSEND falls apart, turning into a mishmash of jumpy surprises and creepy portents, with a dash of exposition drivel, some scenery-chewing, and a lot of stuff that even in the horror movie-watching-suspension-of-belief mode makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

The movie updates two of the most compelling and enduring themes in horror. First is the idea of the beloved child who becomes threatening or evil. In a sense, all children turn into monsters at some point. Those darling angels who love us more than anything and want us to know everything about them eventually turn into hostile teenagers who want us to know nothing about them. The second theme goes all the way back to the earliest recorded stories: men trying to play God with, tragic results. As with hundreds of myths and fairy tales, this is a story whose moral is "be careful what you wish for."

Studio: Lionsgate
Cast: Greg Kinnear, Rebecca Romijn, Robert De Niro
Genre: Thriller
Run time: 102 minutes
Theatrical release: April 30, 2004
DVD release: August 17, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG-13
MPAA explanation: violence including frightening images, a scene of sexuality and some thematic material