Species Studio:
MGM
Starring:
Natasha Henstridge
Ben Kingsley
Michael Madsen
Alfred Molina
Forest Whitaker		 Director:
Roger Donaldson		 Regional code:
2		 Disc Format:
Single Sided, Single Layer
Screenplay:
Dennis Feldman		 Aspect Ratio:
2.35:1		 Anamorphic:
Yes
Year:
1995		 Sound:
Dolby Digital 5.1 in English, German and Spanish		 Subtitles:
English and German Closed Captions, English , German, Spanish, Dutch, Polish, Swedish
Genre:
Horror / monster
Extra disc featues:
Theatrical trailers for Species I and II, 8 page accompanying booklet.		 Length:
103mins
   

Review of the DVD - rating: * * *

Review of the film - rating: * * *
Straight decent movie transfer is not the last word in quality, with plenty of close up blocking evident, but it all looks boffo enough back on the sofa, and the colours are very good. The sound is workman-like, with enough helicopters to keep anyone happy and a few loud "shocking" noises to try and compensate for the lack of tension in the story.

Always good to see MGM's cute booklets, and this has a lot of stuff on H.R Giger (the artist whose disturbed work also spawned the Alien monster) and the special effects team. Throw in the trailers for this and the sequel, and this is a pleasing package all round.

 Monster movie that never quite finds its webbed feet. A human / predatory alien hybrid - Sil - is created in a lab from a signal received from outer space. Within a couple of months she resembles a 12 year old girl and escapes - after another few days she has the body of a goddess and is saying "do you come here often?" down the local nightclub.

Starts intriguingly, than abandons all pretence and turns into a cheesy 50's B-movie with dialogue to match. A shame they didn't have the guts to make it knowing like Tremors, but there is nevertheless some fun to be had when the assembled experts are allowed to behave like humans rather than cliches. Waited in vain for a moment where she is thrown through a big window, and Madsen says "Out the window, Sil!"

Ah well, there's always the sequel.