Godsend (2004)
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4% of critics liked it
(137 reviews) -
28% of users liked it
(40,082 ratings)
Paul (Greg Kinnear) and Jessie Duncan (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) have barely begun the grieving process when Dr. Richard Wells (Robert De Niro) attends the funeral of the Duncans' eight-year-old son, Adam (Cameron Bright), with a pressing question in tow. Head of the Godsend Fertility Clinic, Dr.… More Paul (Greg Kinnear) and Jessie Duncan (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) have barely begun the grieving process when Dr. Richard Wells (Robert De Niro) attends the funeral of the Duncans' eight-year-old son, Adam (Cameron Bright), with a pressing question in tow. Head of the Godsend Fertility Clinic, Dr. Wells claims he can use Adam's rapidly dying cells to clone a replica of the boy, though the necessary DNA will only be viable for another 24 hours. The process in itself is completely illegal; not only must Jessie and Paul be forced to relocate, but they will also be forced to sever all ties with friends and family in order to ensure the secret remains so. Within the space of a day, the Duncans consider the legal and ethical implications of such a procedure, ultimately deciding that their love for Adam is enough to trump the law and any high-minded philosophical questions. After resettling in an idyllic town near Dr. Wells' clinic, Jessie is impregnated with the late Adam's living cells, while Paul is given a beautiful home and a more than suitable job. Shortly afterward, the new Adam -- seemingly identical to the original Adam in every way -- is born and lives a life quite similar to his predecessor until the morning of his eighth birthday. A series of night terrors is the first thing to disturb the Duncans' otherwise serene lifestyle. Adam's violent visions eventually mutate to ill temper, and an aura of menace permeates the aura of a boy who had otherwise been sweetness incarnate from the day of his birth. Eventually, Paul discovers that Dr. Wells is not a pediatrician, but a geneticist, and that their playing God may have been a Faustian bargain of epic proportions. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Directed By
- Nick Hamm
- Written By
- Mark Bomback
- Genres
- Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense
- In Theaters
- Dec 1, 2003 Wide
- Studio
- Lions Gate Films
Critic Reviews
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J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
As in most bad thrillers, the number of pointless shocks increases in direct proportion to the drama's decreasing vitality, like defibrilator paddles jolting a dying man.
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, Time Out
An embarrassingly nonsensical misfire.
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David Edelstein, Slate
A pea-brained hodgepodge of The Omen (1976), The Sixth Sense (1999), and about 30 Grade-Z Bela Lugosi mad-scientist movies.
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Rex Reed, New York Observer
Sometimes interesting but always predictable.
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Mark Holcomb, Village Voice
Working from the assumption that nobody remembers grade school science, let alone the last 30 years of horror movies, Nick Hamm's genre mishmash clumsily recasts The Omen as a cautionary tale featuring a human incarnation of Dolly the sheep.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Greg Kinnear
as Paul Duncan
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Rebecca Romijn
as Jessie Duncan
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Robert De Niro
as Dr. Richard Wells
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Cameron Bright
as Adam Duncan
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Marcia Bennett
as Principal Hersch
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Zoie Palmer
as Susan Pierce
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Janet Bailey
as Cora Williams
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Devon Bostick
as Zachary Clark Wells
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Deborah Odell
as Tanya
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Merwin Mondesir
as Maurice
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Raoul Bhaneja
as Samir Miklat
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Jenny Levine
as Sandra Shaw
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Jake Simons
as Dan Sandler
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Elle Downs
as Clara Sandler

