Sunday, May 20, 2018

Species (1995) ***



Awards season is over, so what's a guy to watch? How about a schlocky B-movie from the mid-'90s that looks like it's from the '80s? I was scrolling through my HBONow account, and they offered up “Species.” One thing about HBONow that sucks but is also kind of awesome is that they don't make personalized recommendations or offer film ratings. They treat all the movies on their site equally, which opens the door to watching some truly trashy films. I read the description of this movie, and frankly, they had me at “alien seductress.”

Ben Kingsley plays Dr. Fitch, a government researcher. He has combined human and alien DNA to create a hybrid creature called Sil. Sil looks human,but she has grown into a teen in a matter of months. When Fitch's team tries to “end the experiment” by killing her, Sil uses her superhuman strength to escape. On the run, Sil morphs into a fully-mature woman in the form of model Natasha Henstridge. Eager to reproduce her alien DNA, Sil hits L.A. looking for a mate.

Fitch, meanwhile, assembles a team to hunt Sil down. Alfred Molina and Marg Helgenberger play Drs. Stephen Arden and Laura Baker, a couple of scientists. Michael Madsen is Lennox, a government assassin, and Forest Whitaker rounds out the team as Dan, an empath who can partly read Sil's mind.

Take a moment to get your mind around that cast list. How did a cheap movie about a half-naked, horny, alien seductress land such a classy, all-star cast? Between them, Kingsley and Whitaker have almost as many prestigious acting awards as this movie has nude scenes, and the rest of the cast are no slouches, either. If you look closely, you may also recognize Michelle Williams at the beginning of the film as young Sil.

It's that inexplicable cast that makes this film more than it should be, even if some of them look like they aren't sure why they are there. Kingsley looks to me like he is ready to fire his agent, although if you ask me, it's Whitaker who has the most to complain about. He gamely recites the most ridiculous lines without irony. His character can read minds, but all he does is state the obvious. When the team see the first video footage of Sil in her mature form, as smokin'-hot model Natasha Henstridge, Dan says “She looks nice.” When the team walks into a train car with a dead body and an empty, alien cocoon, Dan's first impression is, “Something bad happened here.” Dan's observation when the team find Sil's car parked next to the curb, with an empty gas gauge and the door hanging open? “She walked.” He helpfully points in the direction the car is pointing. “She walked that way.” This stuff is unintentionally hilarious!

Otherwise, “Species” is standard B-movie fare, with a lame plot, a handful of naked breasts, and special effects that are remarkably cheesy for 1995. I mean, by the mid-'90s, you almost had to TRY to get special effects that look this rubbery and retro. As a viewer, though, you really have no right to complain. Just based on the movie poster and a brief summary of the film, you know what you are signing up for here.

To get back to the difference between HBONow and Netflix, there's simply no way I would have watched this on Netflix. You might be tempted by a picture of a scantily-clad babe or keywords like “alien seductress,” but when Netflix tells you a movie is only a 36% match with your tastes, chances are you will be too ashamed to hit Play. With HBO's lack of a ratings system, trashy movies are shame-free! You can totally convince yourself that the movie might be good, and feel bad about it afterwards. In the case of “Species”, it actually wasn't as bad as it could have been. If you are looking for something trashy but fun to watch on your HBO account, “Species” might be the movie for you.

3 stars out of 5

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