Species (1995)

WingedSerpent · September 05, 2020, 12:36:39 PM

A message from space shows humans how to combine alien DNA with human DNA. The result is Sil, portrayed by Natasha Henstridge. Sil goes out to find the perfect mate so she can reproduce and eventually have the alien hybrids replace humanity as Earth's dominant species. So naturally a team is assembled to find her and end the threat.

This is one of those b-movies that managed to get a big budget and real actors sort of situations.

Natasha Henstridge, a former model turned actress, physical appearance was one of the selling points I remember as well as some of the gore. Sex and sexuality is one of the movie's themes and it got played up a bit more in the subsequent squeals. Seemed yo me this was one of the last move series that could sell itself on seeing an attractive actress topless. (This was still at the start of the internet and online porn wasn't as prevalent as it is now.

But the one thing to really notice about this movie is the creature design. Sil's full alien form as well as a demon/alien train that appears in a dream sequence-where designed by H.R. Giger. The same man who designed the xenomorphs from the Alien franchise. Admittedly, the CGI used for when she's seen moving hasn't aged well. But some of the figures, puppets and body suits look pretty good.

And Sil's look may have had some interesting real-world repercussions. You may have heard of the legend of the Chupacabra. A lot of early sightings said it looked a lot like a more reptilian version of an alien grey. Some of the people who made those claims also reported that they had seen this film, and yes-alien form Sil does kind of fit the description.

Decent enough movie. Worth at least one watch.

zombie no.one · September 05, 2020, 07:24:10 PM

honestly one of my favourite ever films. I'm talking maybe top 50. I know it's just popcorn horror and about as deep as a petri dish, but I love it

weirdly enough I dug out SPECIES 3 last night. I've got all 4 movies in a box set... I made it further through than I've ever got before and still didn't even make it to the end. all the sequels are awful

WingedSerpent · September 06, 2020, 04:06:53 PM

The most SFW picture of Sil I could find

zelmo73 · September 06, 2020, 06:53:57 PM

Quote from: WingedSerpent on September 06, 2020, 04:06:53 PM
The most SFW picture of Sil I could find

I know that Giger designed the alien body of Sil, but we all know which movie inspired all modern sci-fi creations, including H.R. Giger's work:

WingedSerpent · October 03, 2020, 01:26:41 PM

Quote from: zombie no.one on September 05, 2020, 07:24:10 PM

weirdly enough I dug out SPECIES 3 last night. I've got all 4 movies in a box set... I made it further through than I've ever got before and still didn't even make it to the end. all the sequels are awful

Getting back to this thread a little late. Both the best and worst things I think I could say about Species 2 is that it felt like the obvious sequel to the first film. Like Saw 2, it felt like bigger than the first film but didn't really expand it. If that makes sense.

What I really remember about Species 2 is that it was the first film I saw where it had been noticeably digitally altered to be aired on basic cable. The first time I saw it, it was on I think the Sci-Fi channel. And there's a scene, where the new infected alien/human hybrid has a three way with two women. In the uncut version, their naked, in the altered version-they had bra's and panties digitally painted on them. I looked as awkward and as bad as you think it did.

zombie no.one · October 03, 2020, 01:44:22 PM

lol, I'm almost tempted to watch it again to see which version I have, cause I can't even remember that scene

incidentally I watched SPECIES 4 a few nights ago. that one really is a barrel-scraper. I didn't make it to the end

pennywise37 · October 09, 2020, 04:10:34 AM

i remember when this one came out i had friends who went and saw it as i was in high school at the time think i was oh 10th grade ? and all they could talk about was the nudity in it and how great the film was. i didn't see it for years and though i've seen it a few times i still don't care for it.

it's got some moments don't get me wrong, but it's one of those films that's just overrated i think. the 2nd one was pretty awful and painfully bad, the 3rd one was the last one i did see and that one was pretty decent though it was pretty much a remake of the 1st film it felt like. i have not seen any of the other sequels though but the 3rd one was vastly better than part 2. i watched part 3 when it first premiered on Sci-fi channel and i later watched it with the nudity not cut out.

Alex · October 09, 2020, 07:12:40 AM

Quote from: pennywise37 on October 09, 2020, 04:10:34 AM
i remember when this one came out i had friends who went and saw it as i was in high school at the time think i was oh 10th grade ? and all they could talk about was the nudity in it and how great the film was. i didn't see it for years and though i've seen it a few times i still don't care for it.

it's got some moments don't get me wrong, but it's one of those films that's just overrated i think. the 2nd one was pretty awful and painfully bad, the 3rd one was the last one i did see and that one was pretty decent though it was pretty much a remake of the 1st film it felt like. i have not seen any of the other sequels though but the 3rd one was vastly better than part 2. i watched part 3 when it first premiered on Sci-fi channel and i later watched it with the nudity not cut out.

If you take all the nudity out, aren't you left with like a 20 minute movie?

pennywise37 · October 09, 2020, 04:38:46 PM

that sounds about right

WingedSerpent · November 25, 2020, 06:40:52 PM

Neville · November 29, 2020, 12:59:51 PM

When I first watched it I though that it was "meh", that somehow it didn't live up to its promise. With time I've learned to appreciate for what it is, a B-movie with more sex than usual. I prefer the first sequel. It's a bit boring here and there, but it does have more sex, nastiness and cheese. Can't believe they added an African American astronaut just to use him for laughs.