Species (film)

Species is a 1995 American science fiction horror film directed by Roger Donaldson and written by Dennis Feldman. It stars Natasha Henstridge (in her film debut role), Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker and Marg Helgenberger. The film's plot concerns a motley crew of scientists and government agents who try to track down Sil (Henstridge), a seductive extraterrestrial-human hybrid, before she successfully mates with a human male.
The film was conceived by Feldman in 1987, and was originally pitched as a film treatment in the style of a police procedural, entitled The Message. When The Message failed to attract the studios, Feldman re-wrote it as a spec script, which ultimately led to the making of the film. The extraterrestrial aspect of Sil's character was created by H. R. Giger, who was also responsible for the beings from the Alien franchise. The effects combined practical models designed by Giger collaborator Steve Johnson and XFX, with computer-generated imagery done by Richard Edlund's Boss Film Studios. Giger felt that the film and the character were too similar to Alien, so he pushed for script changes.
Most of the principal photography was done in Los Angeles, California, where the film is set. Several scenes were filmed in Utah and at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. Species was met with mixed reviews from critics, who felt that the film's execution did not match the ambition of its premise, but nevertheless turned out to be a box office success, partly due to the hype surrounding Henstridge's topless scenes in various tabloid newspapers and lad mags of the time, grossing US$113 million ($190 million in 2019 dollars). It spawned a franchise, which includes one theatrical sequel (Species II), as well as two direct-to-television sequels (Species III and Species – The Awakening). Species was adapted into a novel by Yvonne Navarro and two comic book series by Dark Horse Comics, one of which was written by Feldman.
== Plot ==
During the SETI program, Earth's scientists send out transmissions, such as the Arecibo message, with information about Earth and its inhabitants in the hopes of finding life beyond Earth. After receiving transmissions from an alien source on how to create limitless fuel and an alien DNA sample with instructions on how to splice it with that of humans, the scientists assume the aliens are friendly. Inspired by the second transmission, a government team led by Xavier Fitch commissions a genetic experiment meant to create a female alien/human hybrid organism under the belief that she would have "more docile and controllable" traits. They eventually produce a girl codenamed "Sil", who initially resembles a normal human and develops into a 12-year-old in three months.
Due to her violent outbursts while she is sleeping, the scientists deem her dangerous and prepare to kill her using cyanide gas, but she breaks out of her containment cell and escapes. Fearing she will mate with human males and produce offspring that will eventually exterminate the human race, the government assembles a team consisting of anthropologist Dr. Stephen Arden, molecular biologist Dr. Laura Baker, "empath" Dan Smithson, and mercenary Preston "Press" Lennox to track and kill Sil. Using her superhuman strength and intelligence and regenerative capability to evade capture, Sil matures rapidly into her early twenties and travels to Los Angeles, where she kills several people to prevent them from alerting authorities and disguise herself.
After failing to mate with and killing Robbie, a diabetic young man, and John Carey, a man she met following a car accident, Press and Baker find Sil. She assumes her alien form and flees into a nearby forest, where she kidnaps a woman to assume her identity. Secretly returning to Carey's home to spy on Fitch, Sil reads his lips and determines he and his team plan to stake out a nightclub to find her. After being spotted by Smithson, Sil forces her pursuers into a car chase wherein she leaves the woman she kidnapped to die while she crashes the car into a high-voltage transformer and jumps out at the last minute. She later cuts and dyes her hair before developing an attraction towards Press, whom she dreamed of the previous night. Meanwhile, the government team celebrate Sil's apparent death at a hotel, where Sil stealthily stalks them. Arden, upset about being alone, goes to his room to find Sil waiting for him. They soon have sex, resulting in her instantly becoming pregnant before she kills him once he realizes who she is. Sensing her presence, Smithson alerts the remaining team members. Sil transforms once more and escapes into the sewers. The team pursue, but Sil kills Fitch before giving birth. Her offspring subsequently attacks Smithson, who incinerates it with a flamethrower while Press kills Sil with a grenade launcher. As the survivors leave, they fail to notice a rat gnawing on one of Sil's severed tentacles before mutating and killing another rat.
== Cast ==
* Natasha Henstridge as Sil
* Michelle Williams as Young Sil
* Dana Hee as Alien Sil
* Frank Welker as Alien Sil (voice)
* Ben Kingsley as Xavier Fitch
* Michael Madsen as Preston "Press" Lennox
* Alfred Molina as Dr. Stephen Arden
* Forest Whitaker as Dan Smithson
* Marg Helgenberger as Dr. Laura Baker
* Whip Hubley as John Carey
* Anthony Guidera as Robbie
* Matthew Ashford as Man In Club
* Kurtis Burow as Baby Boy, Sil's Offspring
Category:1995 films
Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
Category:Rated R
Category:1990s films
Category:1990s science fiction films
Category:Action
Category:Adventure
Category:Horror
Category:Sci-Fi
Category:Films on VHS
Category:Films on Laserdiscs
Category:THX
Category:Films starring Michelle Williams
Category:Films starring Forest Whitaker
Category:Films starring Alfred Molina
Category:Films starring Ben Kingsley
Category:2:35:1 Aspect Ratio Films
Category:2:39:1 Aspect Ratio Films
Category:Pages containing Mature Content
Category:Films starring Natasha Henstridge
Category:Mystery