Species Blu-ray features mediocre video and audio in this mediocre Blu-ray release
When a beautiful human-alien hybrid escapes from observation, scientist Xavier
Fitch dispatches a crew of experts to find her before she is able to fulfill her horrific
purpose: to mate with unsuspecting men and produce offspring that could destroy mankind. As
her deadly biological clock ticks rapidly, Fitch and his team are hurled into a desperate battle in
which the fate of humanity itself hangs in the balance!
They say that "sex sells," so here it is. Species is an Erotic Horror picture for the masses, a movie with a few choice shots of a naked starlet
and even fewer taboos, combining sex and violence like they were peanut butter and jelly. Species isn't the sexiest movie ever made, nor is it
the bloodiest, but the combination of the two, working on conjunction with standard Chase movie elements, a good character roster, and a fair bit of
action and suspense, make Director Roger Donaldson's (The Bank Job) Species decent-to-good fare. Thorough analyses of
hard science, the search for extraterrestrial life, shadowy government agencies in action, the psychic realm, human hormones, female anatomy, and
interspecies sex this movie is not, but it throws so much at the viewer that some of it is bound to stick, and stick much of it does, making this a rather
enjoyable, if not primarily brain-dead, way to spend a couple of
hours at the movies.
Hey! This isn't a peep show!
For decades, scientists have sent communiques into space, hoping to receive a response from intelligent extraterrestrial beings. Finally, their cries
into the darkness have been answered. The aliens' message: a chemical formula for more efficient energy and the instructions on how to combine
human
and alien DNA. Curiosity gets the best of the scientific community, and they've succeeded in following the directions. They've created the "docile
and
controllable" Sil (Michelle Williams), a young girl who looks normal on the outside, but is a real beast on the inside. When it becomes clear that,
even in captivity, she can no longer be controlled, the decision is made to kill her. She escapes, demonstrating superhuman agility and strength
along the way. The team's leader, Xavier Fitch (Ben Kingsley), assembles a group of highly specialized individuals to help in the hunt: a "solutions"
man in Preston Lennox (Michael Madsen), the Molecular Biologist Dr. Laura Baker (Marg Helgenberger), the empath Dan Smithson (Forest
Whitaker), and the Cultural Behavioralist Dr. Stephen Arden (Alfred Molina). The team's mission is complicated when it's discovered that Sil has
matured into a fully grown adult woman (Natasha Henstridge) who has one thing on her mind: mating and bearing a child. Can the team stop her
before she breeds and sets in motion a devious plan to take over humanity through interspecies propagation?
Species opens with a well-crafted shot of the heavens, accompanied by very classic, genre-defining, Hellraiser-inspired theme music. Well, it's not all downhill from there, but
there aren't many other high points in the movie, either. Species will be forever known as the movie in which Natasha Henstridge gladly
puts
her fine-tuned female form on display for the world to see. The movie is absolutely dominated by her presence, which is fine, because her looks
alone
are enough to hide the movie's many shortcomings, shortcomings that aren't necessarily backbreakers, but shortcomings that do need a little bit of
something else to mask them if the movie's to survive as something other than a cruel tease. Species is a bunch of average cinematic
elements
wrapped up inside a fairly decent idea, which boils down to a collection of eccentric humans tracking down a deadly alien/human hybrid virgin that's
out to
get itself knocked up by any means necessary. It's sort of like the Horror/Sci-Fi genre's answer to a Judd Apatow flick. Indeed, the movie does
center around
an insatiable desire for sex and pregnancy, and it does, for a fact, devolve into something that's a bit more goofy than it probably ought to or
intended
to be, but when a movie is built on a premise as whacky as this one, well, staying on the straight and narrow path isn't exactly a simple task.
Aside from Natasha's uninhibited displays of cinematic sex appeal, Species does have a couple of things going its way. Most notably, it's a
fairly
enjoyable little ride into a Horror/Sci-Fi movie universe where basic human characteristics are all that really matter. There's the craving for
intimacy and reproduction, a character who "feels," a character who "acts," a character who "studies," and a character who "looks." The empath,
the hired gun, the scientist, and the cultural behavioralist make for a nice little assortment of heroes, heroes who are surprisingly well developed and
even likable, even if they make some incredibly stupid decisions and come to rather convenient, plot-driven assumptions throughout the course of
the movie that make their lives all that
more difficult and the task at hand even further out of reach. The movie is admirably developed, though, and while it's not the sharpest crayon in
the box, it's more than capable of coloring a rather pretty picture. Species is stylish but not obnoxiously so, yielding some quality special
effects that, combined with a pretty fair pace and cadence, give the movie some swagger but not a sense of superiority. Species seems
content to be a sexy Chase movie with a little Horror and violence thrown in for good measure. It's a solid movie, not spectacular, but a cut above
the average clunker.
Species evolves onto Blu-ray but apparently lost a few genes or strands of DNA along the way. This is a baseline, at best, HD presentation. It's
a bit more crisp and detailed than standard definition, but on the whole it disappoints and lags far behind superior HD titles. The print shows some heavy
wear and tear over the opening title sequence, which tones down as the movie gets going, though stray hairs, scratches, white speckles, and random
pops linger through until the end. The image ranges from sharp to fuzzy, usually settling into a middle ground that's not a whole lot more crisp than a
good unconverted DVD image. Fine detail is fair at best; faces are occasionally sharp and nicely textured, but again the norm is something that's not far
removed from lower-grade sources. Colors are similarly displayed; they're not terribly vibrant in most scenes, whether in several bright outdoor scenes
or in the film's underground finale. The image is flat and grain seems to appear and disappear at will. Blocking and banding are present but not heavy.
This is a serviceable transfer at best; it certainly doesn't stack up to today's standards but it does surpass the DVD, though not by leaps and bounds.
Hopefully a re-issue will be in order at some point in the future (Species: The 20th Anniversary Edition in 2015?).
Species' Blu-ray debut births a PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack that's not all that. It's adequate, but far from superior, lacking in range and
energy no matter the audible circumstance. It lacks precision clarity, too, giving music a slightly unrefined presence. Still, spacing is fair, and the
surrounds noticeably, but not dominantly, lend their aid in the creation of somewhat immersive musical cues. Action sound effects are disappointing;
explosions lack both power and a strong low end element. They aren't wholly indistinct, just sharply lacking in raw strength. Even a scene where an
adult Sil goes clubbing in search of the perfect mate lacks the commanding presence one would expect of such an environment. Ambience is minimal at
best; rarely does the listener feel even partway immersed into any locale in the film. Fortunately, dialogue is crisp and grounded in the center channel.
The absence of a more vigorous music and effects presence means dialogue never has to worry about becoming drowned out. Much like the video
presentations, this track isn't a total disappointment, but it could definitely stand a little more juice.
Species puts out a quartet of extras, a pair of commentaries and a pair of featurettes.
Audio Commentary: Director Roger Donaldson, Producer Frank Mancuso Jr., Visual Effects Supervisor Richard Edlund, and Creative &
Special Make-Up Effects Creator Steve Johnson deliver an informative track that covers a wide swath of material, including the construction of various
shots and effects, the work of the cast and crew, shooting locales, Natasha's comfort with the role and appearing nude, and more. For a
multi-participant track, this one is balanced and enjoyable. It's not the most engaging ever recorded, but chances are fans will enjoy it a fair bit.
Audio Commentary: Director Roger Donaldson and Actors Michael Madsen and Natasha Henstridge offer up a track that's a little less dry
but no less informative. It's a bit more naturally entertaining, and it's nice to hear some of the details of the shoot from the cast's perspective. Both
tracks offer drastically different tones, and fans would be wise to give both a listen.
Designing a Hybrid (480p, 15:48): A quality, in-depth look at the film's digital and practical effects.
H.G. Giger at Work (480p, 12:07): A glimpse into and a discussion of Giger's work. Note that the menu screen mistakenly calls Giger
"H.G." rather than "H.R."
At the end of the day, Species proves to be a capably fun little ride. There's nothing really special about it, and that it's best remembered for its
spurts of nudity is a bad omen to be sure, but Director Roger Donaldson's film maintains an even keel, producing a fair amount of suspense, good action,
and likable characters, all coming from a surprisingly decent script. The film requires the old suspension of disbelief, though it's good enough to enjoy as
a competent yet rather generic motion picture. MGM's Blu-ray release of Species features a mediocre technical presentation and a few extras.
Worth a rental.
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