Species: The Awakening: More Hybrid Alien Babes with Tongue
Fourth Franchise Movie Ups the Entertainment Value
In general, there are two ways to approach Sci Fi Channel’s Saturday-night original movies: the right way and the wrong way. The incorrect approach would involve sitting down in front of the tube with the expectation that what you’re about to see should be on a par with, or at least should strive to be on a par with films that are released in theaters for paying customers. Anyone who starts out with such lofty hopes is almost certain to end up disappointed. Instead, the best approach to Sci Fi’s original-movie concoctions is to understand that they’re invariably synonymous with B-level and often even C-level fare. Thus, the less you expect, the more likely you are to enjoy what you actually get. Viewers who decide to watch Species: The Awakening with the right advance attitude are in for a treat, then, because the production is not only a pretty good Sci Fi original movie, it’s a pretty good Species sequel.
The fourth installment of the Species franchise, which premieres on the Sci Fi Channel tonight at 9pm EST, contains all of the conventions familiar to those who’ve seen previous entrants. A gorgeous, sexy blonde with alien DNA and an unforgettable tongue possesses an uncontrollable urge to mate and produce offspring. This time around, however, the central human-alien hybrid character, Miranda, is a college professor who remains unaware of her true nature until she experiences a blackout, during which she single-handedly slaughters a substantial proportion of a hospital’s staff. When she returns to her “normal” self, her uncle named Tom reveals exactly what every niece and nephew never wants to hear from a relative—that they are and have always been the result of a scientific experiment merging human and alien DNA. Miranda and Tom then set off across Mexico in search of a fix for her predicament, dodging imminent danger from less self-loathing, long-tongued aliens all the way.
While many fans (read “guys”) flock to the original Species for the main hybrid alien babe Sil, played by an eye-pleasing Natasha Henstridge, I enjoyed the movie primarily because of its top-notch cast: Marg Helgenberger (Catherine Willows on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), Michael Madsen (Kill Bill, Volumes 1 and 2), Alfred Molina (Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2), and Best Actor Academy Award winners Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland). Oh, and that’s also a teenage Michelle Williams (Brokeback Mountain, Dawson’s Creek) playing the younger version of Sil. You can’t do much better than that for a by-the-numbers sci-fi flick. Species II (which did bring back Henstridge, Helgenberger, and Madsen) and especially generic, no-name Species III (which only scored Henstridge) didn’t even come close to reclaiming that level of casting synergy.
The third sequel can’t compare in the casting department either. But to its credit, it does try with a second stately Brit named Ben, Ben Cross of 1981′s acclaimed Chariots of Fire, as Tom, in addition to another blonde beauty who’s just as effective in the lead hybrid role as Henstridge was: 22-year-old Swede Helena Mattsson. Mexican telenovela actress Marlene Favela also provides the appropriately menacing antagonist Azura, and Star Trek: Enterprise alum Dominic Keating is on hand, as well. An above-mediocre plot and special effects that look special complete the package, making Species: The Awakening an uncommonly worthwhile Sci Fi Channel offering. Better still, the DVD of the movie will be released on Tuesday, October 2, for anyone who wants their very own official, factory-produced copy.
The Verdict: B+
The following trailer was released earlier when the film was called Species Quattro.
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Species: The Awakening premieres on the Sci Fi Channel on Saturday, September 29, at 9pm EST
Species: The Awakening photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox and MGM
