GENPETS

Four friends discover a secret laboratory beneath an abandoned mine where genetically engineered pets are being created. When the Genpets escape, they must survive the creatures and stop them from reaching the outside world.

Steve, Ellen, Geek and Gallina begin the summer in their quiet town knowing it may be their last one together before they move on to different schools. Rumours surrounding an abandoned mine lead them to BioGen, a hidden laboratory combining DNA from different animal species to manufacture personalised pets.

A single drop of Steve's blood activates one of the dormant specimens: Cuddles, the first viable Genpet. But when other creatures escape, discovery turns into a fight to survive, find a way out and prevent the experiments from reaching the outside world.

With the help of Dr. Astoria, a scientist horrified by the project she helped create, the four friends must face BioGen, its creatures and the fear that their last summer together may really be their last.

A contemporary youth adventure that recaptures the friendship, danger and sense of wonder of the great adventure films of the 1980s and 1990s without becoming a nostalgic imitation. Above ground, summer and small-town life breathe through warm light and open frames; below ground, the mine closes in and turns claustrophobic. The laboratory introduces a cold, fluorescent and deliberately unnatural world.

At the centre is Cuddles: a creature engineered as a product but ultimately defined by his bond with Steve. Their relationship gives the film its emotional heart and places the innocence of the children against an adult world willing to turn life itself into merchandise.