MovieChat Forums > Species (1995) Discussion > Non-Entertaining Waste Of Time

Non-Entertaining Waste Of Time

posted 13 years ago by PostmortemG
7 replies | jump to latest

The Good: Most obviously, the actress is hot. The scene where she rips out the other woman's spine is cool. Giger's designs are fantastic, regardless of how briefly they're utilized.

The Bad: Everything else. How did this movie receive an R rating? I think it's the most tame R rated movie I've ever seen, in the sense that everything feels dumbed down and softened. I can't think of another movie that features 'graphic violence' and 'strong sexual content', yet feels so kid friendly at the same time, like this one.

Giger's always fantastic designs are actually featured less than the horrid CGI, which is pitiful. The nightmare sequences (which utilize Giger's work beautifully) are probably the best scenes in the movie, but they're so brief that they barely matter.

The tone never changes; every scene merges blandly into the next, with not enough gore or nudity to make the experience enjoyable in an exploitative kind of way. Species just sucks. However, I'll definitely watch the sequel in hopes of seeing the lead actress naked again. =P

"Cain and Abel will go to Heaven... if they can make it through Hell!"
-Los Hijos Del Topo

[–] indisposedinmymind 13 years ago

I haven't seen Species 1 & 2 in years, but I thought they were mediocre and God-awful respectively. The second film is probably a little bit gorier than the first, but it's such a dreay and unpleasant experience and totally lacking in fun, that you won't care.

"You average, typical, blocking the view of a God-damn, average, victim Bastard!"

[–] Prismark10 13 years ago

Species was an OK entertaining film. No rewatch value but better than many other films from that genre.

Its that man again!!

[–] Bmoviedude61 13 years ago

No rewatch value??!! I beg to differ. You got Michael Madsen at his killer-with-a-dry-sense-of-humor best, the stunning Natasha Henstridge and a good B-movie action plot amped up with LA club scene visuals. Good stuff.

"Kiss my shiny metal a**" -- Bender

[–] PostmortemG 13 years ago

Jeez, there's more shenanigans going on in virtually any sleazy exploitation movie made decades before this bore. Yes, Natasha is hot - and she even struts her stuff naked a few times (but far less often than many people insist). Yeah, there are a few instances of gory violence (but nothing on par with the Giger-related Alien3, released just a few years prior)... but overall, Species is one of the more embarrassing examples of its kind, mostly because it's just so damned restrained! Species is practically kid friendly. There are countless other exploitation films I'd rather watch instead of this one.

"Cain and Abel will go to Heaven... if they can make it through Hell!"
-Los Hijos Del Topo

[–] WarpedRecord 13 years ago

Considering the fact that I've been hearing accolades for this film for 16 years, I was a bit disappointed to finally see a pretty standard police procedural, albeit involving an alien. I did find it intermittently entertaining, but it could and should have been so much better. 6/10 stars from me.

[–] PostmortemG 13 years ago

Yeah, i think Species' notoriety is largely due to boys having a blast seeing boobs in a sci-fi movie, back in the mid '90s. However, I'm sure that if I'd seen the movie back then that i still wouldn't have liked it. Species just doesn't deserve its 'raunchy' status, especially when there are dozens up dozens of sleazier, more violent films out there to be found. Do you want sex & violence? Watch The New York Ripper or Singapore Sling.

"Cain and Abel will go to Heaven... if they can make it through Hell!"
-Los Hijos Del Topo

[–] WarpedRecord 13 years ago

Very true. If I were horny and a kid – or even one of the two – I probably would have liked this a lot more. It seems like Natasha Henstridge was the It girl for several months because of this film, and though she does a decent job here, it's more of a one-note role (well, actually a two-note role, but both the notes were proportioned roughly equally).