Misfortune surrounds Godsend, an annoying sci-fi horror/thriller starring Robert De Niro, Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. With the exception of one haunting shot showing a graveyard shrouded in snow, I can find nothing positive to say about this muddled film. Its worst sin? A promising story concept about the dangers of cloning deteriorates quickly into unabashed hokum.

When Paul and Jessie Duncan (Kinnear and Romijn-Stamos) lose Adam (Cameron Bright), their beloved 8-year-old son, in a tragic accident, they become inconsolable. Enter Dr. Richard Wells (De Niro) with an offer they can’t refuse. He will take one of Adam’s cells, insert it into an egg from Jessie, and clone the child -- under two conditions: the Dunn’s must move to an out-of-the-way location and swear not to reveal anything about the cloning of Adam. Paul and Jessie agree. Eight years later, their troubles begin. Adam, the clone, starts acting very strange indeed. He has nightmares, spits at a teacher and may be involved in the murder of a classmate. Because Adam seems closer to Dr. Wells than to anyone, his parents, especially his mother, rely on the doctor for advice concerning their disturbed son. But Wells has an agenda of his own.     

I know we’re supposed to suspend disbelief while watching movies -- and that goes double for flicks in of the sci-fi, horror or thriller genre. Still, for me, there must be a semblance of believability to the situations and characters involved, even in these farfetched films. Also, is it too much to ask that the story be cohesive? I don’t think so. Remember how well it was done in such suspenseful classics as The Omen, Rosemary’s Baby and The Sixth Sense?   

In Godsend, problems of character motivation and unreasonable behavior are particularly troubling. Paul and Dr. Wells whisper throughout the film except when in church; there they shout at the top of their voices. Paul apparently knows very little about genes, and yet he teaches biology; Jessie loves her husband dearly but engages in secret conversations with Wells; and -- even after sitting though the entire movie -- I still can’t figure out what was going on with Wells and Adam’s clone.

Surprisingly, this disappointing movie is directed by Nick Hamm, the same British filmmaker behind The Hole, a chilling gem starring Thora Birch as a dangerous, manipulative teenager. So what happened here? It’s obvious -- Hamm’s evil clone helmed Godsend.

(Released by Lions Gate Films and rated “PG-13” for violence including frightening images, a scene of sexuality and some thematic material.)