Grieving parents meet the disastrous effects of tinkering with human cloning when they employ the help of a DNA stem cell researcher to create an identical version of their deceased son in "Godsend." Well-acted, well shot, and at times ludicrously enjoyable, it’s an entertainingly unpretentious B-movie, ultimately undone by an intriguing premise that goes nowhere interesting.

When young parents Paul and Jessie (Kinnear, Romijn-Stamos) lose eight-year-old Adam (Bright) to a freak car accident, their devastation leads them to accept an offer from Dr. Richard Wells (Deniro). Wells heads the secluded Godsend clinic, which specializes in hush-hush, loony DNA cloning experiments that in today’s world seem almost believable.

For the first eight years or so their "new" son, the identical image of their first, seems a normal enough kid. But when he suddenly starts having violent night terrors involving fire, death and what appear to be someone else’s memories, the increasingly beleaguered parents realize their deal with the devil may have just brought something else out from the other side. The boy is obsessed with drawing violent pictures and becomes increasingly withdrawn…and, well, scary. It doesn’t take long to figure out that the benevolent doctor himself may hold the key to exactly what’s going on.

"Godsend" sets up the emotional and moral dilemma with real feeling for this type of film. The opening scenes are quite good at establishing a funky, urban household with lovingly non-traditional parents who show great affection for a kid they actually take time to talk with and listen to. Romijn-Stamos and Kinnear are appealingly modern and fresh in these scenes, and director Hamm has a sharp eye for their milieu.

In a simple yet expertly staged scene of suspense, Romijn-Stamos makes an error in judgment that puts her son in harm’s way and he dies. "Godsend" capably shows actors investing a level of drama welcome but quite unnecessary for this type of film. And for a while, the professionalism of the perfomers combined with the effectively disconcerting atmosphere is eerie and absorbing. DeNiro, in particular, is fully aware of just what kind of film he’s in and delivers his increasingly silly dialogue with the kind of showmanship that goes a long way to cover plot holes.

The film recalls the elegant B-movies director Joseph Ruben ("The Stepfather," "The Good Son," "Sleeping with the Enemy") made so well over a decade ago. And there is even a nod to David Cronenberg’s great 70s thrillers ("The Brood", "Rabid"), with the hidden away experimental laboratories located deep in some deceptively lovely woodland.

The film falls apart when its mystery is revealed in a frustratingly random scene of long exposition that’s so routine it drains the life out of the film and leaves you wondering why there’s no payoff for such a lurid build-up. There’s good here and it’s disheartening to see it undone by such an obvious copout. Reportedly there were five endings shot for this film, re-shoots, trouble and delays. What’s on the screen is the worst for it.