Species (1995)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Roger Donaldson

Writer (WGA):

Dennis Feldman (written by)

Release Date:

7 July 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

If you build it, they will come.

Plot:

A message from outer space contains instructions on how to modify human DNA.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Scientist | Killing | Human Alien | Seti

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Ben Kingsley	...	Xavier Fitch
Michael Madsen	...	Preston Lennox
Alfred Molina	...	Dr. Stephen Arden
Forest Whitaker	...	Dan Smithson, Empath
Marg Helgenberger	...	Dr. Laura Baker
Natasha Henstridge	...	Sil
Michelle Williams	...	Young Sil
Jordan Lund	...	Aide
Don Fischer	...	Aide
Scott McKenna	...	Train Hobo
Virginia Morris	...	Mother
Jayne Luke	...	Snack Shop Clerk
David K. Schroeder	...	German Tourist
David Jensen	...	Conductor
Esther Scott	...	Female Conductor

MPAA:

Rated R for sci-fi violence, strong sexuality and some language.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Portuguese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Canada:18A (Alberta) (1999) | Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 (w) | Ireland:18 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Fitch's comment that they made Sil female to be more controllable belies his ignorance. In every predatory species known, the female is always more aggressive.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the pool scene, when there is some discussion between those gathered, one of the men says that the criminologist has checked the pool and found no evidence of semen in the pool. It would have been impossible to check the entire pool within that time, and criminologists do not check for evidence of semen at a crime scene - that is the job of a forensic scientist/investigator.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Xavier Fitch: I'm sorry.
Young Sil: [mouthing] I'm sorry.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 'Species III': Set Invasion (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Enchanted

Kind of cool and pleasant.....

"Species" has a hopelessly derivative premise that makes it a completely unnecessary view for anyone who has ever seen "Alien" or "The Predator" (or their sequels), but it does have some things going for it. To be short and specific: Natasha Henstridge is dreamily, extraordinarily beautiful; the rest of the cast is distinguished, with a very cool Michael Madsen stealing the show; the special effects are convincingly yucky; and the pacing is fast and unrelenting, with the "search-and-destroy" team being always only one step behind the pursued alien "monster". A forgettable film, but not nearly as bad as many reviews have suggested. (**)