Species

Species...1995...108 minutes...rated R...starring Michael Madsen, Natasha Henstridge, Marg Helgenberger, Forest Whitaker, Ben Kingsley, and Alfred Molina...written by  Dennis Feldman...directed by Roger Donaldson

Now, there are some bad ideas and then there are some bad ideas. In 1993, SETI receives a transmission that contains two different things (if I recall correctly). One is technical data for a super-efficient source of power, obviously proving the good intentions of the beings broadcasting it. The other is a very unique DNA sequence and instructions on how to splice it with our DNA. So of course, someone in the government thinks it's an excellent thing to go ahead with this genetic experiment. (Bad idea) They create Sil, a female human-alien hybrid...but then decide that this was a bad idea and try to kill her. Sil, of course, has other ideas and escapes from the base she was created and housed at. A team is assembled to track her down, while Sil starts maturing at a frightening rate and gets her own goal in mind: reproduction.

I have mixed feelings when it comes to this movie. It does have several things going for it. One, look at the above cast...for those people like myself who love to increase their movie trivia about which stars have appeared in what movies, "Species"" is a gem. (The wife and I call this knowledge imdb-fu.) As well, the creature design is done by the infamous H.R. Giger...I've heard that the Sil design was the original Alien design, but I'm not sure if that's true. Regardless, Natasha Henstridge goes from attractive blond to tentacle-breasted alien horror in a matter of seconds. (You read that right.) The mix of sexuality and carnage hits in some uncomfortable places, at least in the male psyche.

Still, it has some really odd moments as well. Forest Whitaker's character is empathic to a psychic degree, and it's thrown out there to be accepted without any real explanation. Also, the team comes up with the idea to reproduce the alien DNA by itself...which is an excellent idea, but then begs the question: why did no one consider this idea before?  You'd think a project of this magnitude would get some better forward-thinkers. The idea that Sil was chosen to be female because people thought she'd be more docile is truly laughable, but at least this is pointed out by Marg Helgenberger's character. Lastly of course is the ending, which is true horror schlock at its finest.

The level of blood and violence in the movie gets intense at times, and this gore may either work for you or against you, depending on your tolerance for such things. For that matter, this entire movie is much the same way: it may work for you or totally not...I'd say it really depends on the frame of mind you bring to the movie.

I'll give "Species" 2.5 leftover cocoon-things out of 5.