SPECIES (1995) A "Turkey of the Week" film review by Justin Felix Copyright 1998 Justin Felix
Rating: **** (out of five)
Written by Dennis Feldman. Directed by Roger Donaldson. Starring Natasha Henstridge, Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen. Rated R (contains nudity, violence, and profanity) 108 mins.
Synopsis: An alien/human hybrid escapes a top-secret government research installation, transforms into a sexy blonde, travels to L.A., shops for a wedding dress, and searches for the perfect man to copulate with. In the meantime, an anal-retentive scientist assembles a team, including a dim-witted assassin with a cat and an empath with a penchant for the obvious, to track her down.
Comments: With the recent release of SPECIES in a deluxe widescreen edition on video (labeled a "Contemporary Classic" by MGM) and SPECIES II currently in production for this summer, now seemed like a good enough time as any to write a retrospective on this movie. If one were to critique SPECIES as an everyday, run-of-the-mill theatrical release, he would have to conclude that it was a genuine turkey. On the other hand, if viewed in the humorous "just-for-fun" way that it should be, SPECIES turns into one of the best bad science-fiction movies of the decade. Complete with a ludicrous plot, laughable characters, ridiculous dialogue, and not-so-special effects, this film proves entertaining from start to finish.
The cast of SPECIES makes a suitable topic to begin with. Yes, the scientist in charge of the project which creates the human/alien hybrid is none other than the well-respected actor Ben Kingsley. The man who won an Academy Award for his portrayal of GHANDI, the man who played superbly in Spielberg's epic SCHINDLER'S LIST, is reduced, by the end of this film, to shouting obscenities in a sewer while armed with a flamethrower. How the mighty have fallen! As humorously miscast as Kingsley is, more laughs are provided by Michael Madsen and Forest Whitaker. The former plays an assassin who spouts inane one-liners and constantly looks like he's in need of Pepto Bismol while the latter stars as a psychic (oh, excuse me, he's an empath -- whatever) whose insights are highly obvious to anyone with a brain cell. SPECIES also marks the debut of Natasha Henstridge, a very attractive young model-turned-actress. Though she plays the creature christened "Sil" (the title character of this movie), she's basically reduced to stripping naked in every other scene she's in. This is far from being a bad thing, of course, but it still seems a rather over-the-top way to enter the movie industry. (Unfortunately, SPECIES, to date, is Henstridge's best film; her other two -- the okay MAXIMUM RISK and the awful ADRENALIN: FEAR THE RUSH -- are forgetable. Note to film producers: give this lady a real chance!)
The plot of SPECIES sounds, and is, bewilderingly dumb. This alien/human hybrid grows at an accelerated rate until she's at her beautiful 21-year-old stage, then her aging abruptly halts. (I guess SPECIES wouldn't be as cool if Henstridge's character aged to death halfway through the movie.) In order to enjoy it, one must leave his intelligence at the door; the story is full of holes. Dennis Feldman's script is also full of some of the worst lines in recent movie history. It's fun to listen to the silly dialogue which goes on between the characters of this film. Perhaps the best example occurs near the beginning: the team inspects a train compartment which Sil has recently vacated. A dead woman lies in a pool of blood. Alien gore drips from the walls. The compartment is in complete disarray. Whitaker's psychic (sorry, *empath*), while studying the mess, receives one of his "insights" which leads him to brilliantly note that "something bad happened here."
One would expect spectacular special effects from a big-budgeted sci-fi film from a major movie studio like MGM. Expectations, perhaps, should be even higher for SPECIES as it features the talents of H.R. Giger (the bizarre artist who created the creature in ALIEN, a true science-fiction classic) and Richard Edlund (the winner of 4 Academy Awards for his work on the STAR WARS trilogy and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK). Despite these talents behind the camera, however, SPECIES has an undeniably cheesy feel throughout the film. Yes, most of the special effects are, at least, adequate for the film (though hardly "special"). The finale, on the other hand, looks absurd. An obviously computer-generated creature who seems to have stepped out of a second-rate video game menaces the characters in a setting that is completely unreal. It's rather funny.
SPECIES receives four stars and not a perfect five due to the fact that it loses some of its energy right before its laughable finale. Unlike the rest of the film, which is fun to watch, this segment resorts to cliches that have been done time after time before. The team hunting Sil tracks her through a sewer system. Armed with flamethrowers and flashlights, they shuffle around in the gloom to find her. Dark tunnels. Dripping water. A creature ready to spring out of the darkness at any moment. Been there, done that. The worst part about this segment is that it is the only segment which tries to be serious. Perhaps that is why it seems out of place and makes the film drag for a while.
Irregardless of the last criticism, SPECIES is one of the best turkeys ever made. Considering the various talented people who embarass themselves through their involvement in the film's production, considering the bad dialogue, questionable acting, and ludicrous story, SPECIES is a definate winner. It's a near-perfect movie for those in the mood to see an "it's so bad that it's good" type of film.
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