The first time I saw “Species”, it had just opened in theatres. Let’s see, that would have been around 1995. I was pretty excited about seeing a new sci-fi flick at the time, in part because I knew that the creature design had come from H.R. Giger. I was also intrigued by the casting, which included the likes of Ben Kingsley, Forest Whitaker, (the ultra-cool) Michael Madsen and Marg Helgenberger. Even better, I understood that the visual effects were being helmed by Academy Award Winner, Richard Edlund. How could it be bad? The drive home in the car after seeing the movie was interminable. I was disappointed… terribly disappointed. It’s not that the movie was bad; it just wasn’t what I expected. It started out pretty good. The premise involved the Earth’s scientists having received a signal from space that carried a genetic code. The code allowed us to genetically engineer a human-alien hybrid. The experiment, for the most part turns out to be a success.

But, as in the case in most sci-fi movies involving scientific experiments there is always that unknown factor. The one that dictates something must always….ALWAYS… go horribly wrong.

We meet Sil, the product of the experiment, when she is still a young girl. Unaware of her talents and strength, the security just isn’t strong enough to hold her. She escapes and soon begins to change. Before you know it, she has matured into full grown woman, still unsure of who or… what she is. Hot on her trail is a team of scientists, led by an expert tracker. Though she is still unsure of who she is, she is still driven by her instincts and her desire to mate. Trouble is, there are far too many men ready and willing to help her out.

The first half of the movie really got me going. The story was pretty straightforward, and at times, intense. There was the added bonus if seeing Sil (Natasha Henstridge) devoid of clothing for most of the movie. For a lot of actresses, this wouldn’t really help sell the movie, but Henstridge is strikingly beautiful both in face and form and its hard to keep your eyes off of her. Even the special effects were pretty good, with lots of blood and gore.

Where the film lost me was in the last 30 minutes or so. It seemed to lose some of its creativity and became more of a ‘chase’ movie, and I noticed the dialogue getting sillier and sillier. Then what started out as good special effects were replaced by lots of CGI. There was a great ‘alien’ suit designed for Sil, but we rarely got to see any of it. Anytime the scenes called for action shots, the real actor was replaced by an animated version. This might not have been so bad, but even though to looked like the alien, it didn’t match the moves or the texture. I realize “Species” was made while these types of digital effects were still toddlers, but even today, very few effects house can create a fully digital creature that looks ‘real.’

Now, flash forward a few years to my chance to watch the movie again on the new DVD release from MGM. Did I still feel the same way about the film? Not really. I may have softened up a little over the years, and though I still think the movie suffered a little under the weight of its own design, it was actually a better experience the second time around. I sat down knowing what to expect, and viewed the film as more of a comedy and it worked for me. I still didn’t like the CGI work, but the dialogue and actions by the characters seemed more likely in retrospect.

As for the DVD itself, the transfer was very well done. A good portion of the movie is set in the dark, and I never had any problems with the picture. It was always crystal clear, as was the sound. There aren’t very many special features, only two audio commentaries. The first is by director Roger Donaldson, producer Frank Mancuso Jr., visual effects supervisor Richard Edlund and creature and special makeup effects artist Steve Johnson. It is actually a pretty lively track, and did answer a lot of questions as to why they had to do certain things a certain way. It was especially fun to hear from Steve Johnson, who used to be one of my favorite effects artists until he married Scream Queen Linnea Quigley and seemingly dropped out of sight. (I understand he still does quite a bit of FX work, most recently on “Spider-Man 2”, but I don’t see his name as often as I used to.) The second commentary is by director Roger Donaldson and actors Natasha Henstridge and Michael Madsen. This track isn’t as lively, but is no less interesting.

I think I enjoy the movie more this time around because I look at it as almost a borderline spoof, with real sci-fi elements. I also think I appreciate the actors a little more as it seems as though they’re having fun with the roles. “Species” may not be a great film, but going in with the right perspective certainly makes it a fun one.

Directed by: Roger Donaldson
Starring: Natasha Henstridge, Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker, Marg Helgenberger
Extras: Audio Commentary by Director Roger Donaldson, Producer Frank Mancuso Jr., Visual Effects Supervisor Richard Edlund and Creature and Special Makeup Effects Creator Steve Johnson, Audio Commentary by Director Roger Donaldson and Actors Natasha Henstridge and Michael Madsen, Species III Sneak Peak, Original Theatrical Trailer
Specifications: Widescreen (2.35:1) Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, DTS 5.1 Digital Surround Sound
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 10/19/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (Sci Fi Violence, Strong Sexuality and Some Language)
Website

We'll give Species a B-.