X
- 1995
- R
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 1 h 48 m
- 1995
- R
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 1 h 48 m
Summary An experiment mixing human and alien DNA results in a beautiful young woman who escapes from a government lab on a quest to mate and reproduce.
Directed By: Roger Donaldson
Written By: Dennis Feldman
- 1995
- R
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 1 h 48 m
- 1995
- R
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 1 h 48 m
Species
49
8.2
Where to Watch
Summary An experiment mixing human and alien DNA results in a beautiful young woman who escapes from a government lab on a quest to mate and reproduce.
Directed By: Roger Donaldson
Written By: Dennis Feldman
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
49
28% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
48% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
24% Negative
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 25 Critic Reviews
49
28% Positive
7 Reviews
7 Reviews
48% Mixed
12 Reviews
12 Reviews
24% Negative
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
The best monster movie to come slithering out of the muck since Jurassic Park. Species is an exploitation picture while Jurassic Park was mainstream, but the new one is lots of fun if you're in the mood for B-movie thrills. [07 July 1995, p.19]
A propulsive sci-fi actioner genetically engineered from spores of the Alien and Terminator series, Roger Donaldson's Species provides a gripping if not overly original account of an extraterrestrial species attempting to overwhelm our own.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 124 User Ratings
8.2
82% Positive
102 Ratings
102 Ratings
14% Mixed
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
4% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 124 User Ratings
8.2
82% Positive
102 Ratings
102 Ratings
14% Mixed
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
4% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
This is the ultimate bloke film bar none. Well except maybe Predator (1987). I love the way that this is full of topless women, violence and aliens. Absolutely perfect. Here, take a handy hint: fill your belly with beer and then almost pass-out from the awe that is generated from every second of this killer alien-human-hybrid movie. I never get tired of watching Natasha Henstridge as an alien. Never ever.
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Species is a 1995 film, the year of great movies such as Assassins, Casino, The Quick and the Dead and a few others but also probably in 1995 some stinkers were made. Species directed by Roger Donaldson is a basic and rather simple story and it's basically some scientists found alien DNA or something and created a monster. Not sure if that's correct so don't quote me, however I am sure the alien creature is named Sil and is played by Michelle Williams (Dawson's Creek) and she's still a child. They decide to gas her and kill her but she escapes from a glass chamber and helicopters and everyone are out hunting for her. A group of people "Michael Madsen, Marg Helgenberger, Forrest Whitaker and some other dude lol are called in for a search and destroy mission to terminate the alien lifeform before it mates and potentially becomes a threat to earth but first they must hunt her (the alien) down and find her because she's on the loose after escaping. SPECIES stars also Natasha Henstridge (Ghosts of Mars) as the alien creature and is packed with explosions, violence, blood and extremely well done sex scenes and beautifully executed nudity scenes. This film is excellent!!!
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Alien meets Basic Instinct in this textbook illustration of what happens when millions of dollars' worth of technical expertise is brought to bear on a cheap, exploitative script.
I can imagine a film in which a creature like Sil struggles with her dual nature, and tries to find self-knowledge. Like Frankenstein's monster, she would be an object of pity. But that would be way too subtle for Species, which just adds a slick front end to the basic horror vocabulary of things jumping out from behind stuff.
Species doesn't scare or dazzle you. [07 July 1995, p.H25]
Like some state-of-the-art remake of Lifeforce, this is every bit as bad as Tobe Hooper's film, but nothing like as enjoyable. Worst is the transition in the final scenes from snatched glimpses of a woman in a rubber suit to some oddly alienating motion-control effects. Floating like the ghosting on a poorly tuned TV, these are far too clean and artificial to be believable or remotely scary. Deserves extinction.
[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]
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The classic scifi trope of a beautiful yet deadly woman from outterspace. All the ingredients are here and yet something just feels off. The cinematography, editing, pacing, screenplay, direction all just didnt hold up as well in 2022 as back in the day. The cast is fantastic and tries their best with the weak material.
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I happened to recall hearing about a year ago, when I first watch "Under the Skin", there existed a movie from the 90s that it took the concept from. Fast forward to now and, I hear that the film in question was "Species".
From a purely conceptual level, Species has a great premece. A woman who goes around seducing and killing people. That's about were the good in the writing ends. Every character is completely flat and definied by what they do in the story. Main character, knows where the alein is, love intreset, exposition and, death fodder. If you've seen species, you know exactly who each character is based on that description. Also the alein who is evil.
The acting is actually pretty decent overall. Nothing crazy great or crazy bad, just some solid performances that keep this movie above rock bottom. For how barren the material the actors are working with, they end up doing a decent job. So, in that sense, the acting is impressive I guess.
The special effects and make up, when they are done practiacally, end up looking pretty great. At least up until the film's climax when everything devolves into mid 90s cgi. I guess they might've looked good for the time but, they've aged poorly. However, the practical effects in the brief dream sequences look very good. It's definietly reminicent of Alein but, go figure since HR Giger designed the alein in this movie, so no shock there.
The camera work and cinematography is the millionth thing in this movie that falls into the category of "Just alright". "Just alright" ends up being the word I'd describe most of this film with. Very little of it is done in a way that is special. However, the reason to watch this movie is because it's really funny bad. So, I honestly reccomend watching this if you are a fan of Under the Skin because you can see how it improved and evolved on this concept.
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Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 3 Nominations
Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
MTV Movie + TV Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
