Species
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Synopsis
After scientists splice extraterrestrial DNA with human genetic material, the resulting predatory hybrid escapes custody and heads to Los Angeles, forcing an elite government team of scientists and mercenaries to hunt her down before she mates.
Plot
In an effort to establish communication with extraterrestrial intelligence, government scientists at Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence transmit transmissions into deep space containing human DNA sequences and Earth coordinates. Unexpectedly, an alien signal transmits back, detailing an endless source of clean energy alongside a genetic sequence code for an alien genome. Under project director Xavier Fitch at a secluded Utah research laboratory, scientists splice the foreign DNA with human genetics, giving birth to a female infant named Sil.
Sil matures at an alarming biological rate, transforming into a twelve-year-old girl within months. Alarmed by her unpredictable biology, Fitch orders the chamber flooded with cyanide gas, but Sil shatters the observation glass and escapes onto a passenger train. For more sci-fi creature retrospectives, movie reviews, and streaming updates, explore MovieToWatch. In a train compartment, Sil spins an organic cocoon, emerging as a stunning adult predator driven by an overpowering biological instinct to locate a genetically viable human mate and breed. Fitch forms a specialized task force to track her down: assassin Preston Lennox, anthropologist Dr. Stephen Arden, molecular biologist Dr. Laura Baker, and empathic psychic Dan Smithson. The team trails Sil across Los Angeles nightclubs and upscale hotels as her aggressive mating encounters leave a trail of bloody corpses.
Ending Explained
Following an auto crash where Sil fakes her own death by severing her thumb, she tracks the hunting team to their hotel, seducing and murdering Dr. Stephen Arden. Sil escapes underground into the storm drains and abandoned mining shafts beneath the city, rapidly entering labor.
Fitch, Lennox, Laura, and Dan follow her into the subterranean caves. Fitch discovers Sil nursing an alien infant in a cavern pool, but Sil’s biomechanical form ambushes Fitch, dragging him underwater and killing him. Lennox and Dan track the creature and her fast-growing offspring into an oil-slicked spillway. Lennox douses the infant in fuel and shoots a grenade into the fuel pool, setting off an inferno. The adult creature emerges from the fire to attack, but Lennox shoots her repeatedly, sending her plummeting into the flaming pit where she burns to death. The surviving trio limps out of the cavern into the night air. However, a closing shot reveals an infected water rat consuming a piece of Sil’s burned organic remains, mutating into an alien beast and scampering away into the sewer network, leaving the door open for another outbreak.
What We Think About This Movie
What We Liked
Natasha Henstridge providing an arresting, lethal, and memorable screen presence in her breakout debut.
H.R. Giger's biomechanical creature and nightmare-train concept designs.
A high-caliber ensemble cast, including Ben Kingsley, Forest Whitaker, and Michael Madsen, lending earnestness to a B-movie premise.
Fast-paced, trashy sci-fi fun that embraces its 90s erotic thriller hybrid identity without hesitation.
What We Didn't Like
Rough, early computer-generated imagery effects during full-body alien transformation scenes.
Forest Whitaker's psychic character serves mostly as an exposition shortcut to locate the alien.
A formulaic, cavernous sewer climax that feels far less inspired than the setup.
Who Should Watch
Fans of 1990s creature features and adult sci-fi horror movies like Splice or The Faculty.
Admirers of legendary Swiss surrealist artist H.R. Giger's creature designs.
Viewers looking for entertaining, campy, late-night genre thrills driven by a star-studded cast.
Who Should Skip
Anyone seeking scientifically grounded, cerebral hard science fiction.
Viewers put off by gratuitous nudity, graphic creature violence, and erotic horror tropes.
Movie Details
Where to Watch Species in the USA
Frequently Asked Questions About Species
Who designed the alien creature in Species?
Swiss surrealist painter and sculptor H.R. Giger, famed for his Oscar-winning designs in Alien, conceived the aesthetic for Sil, designing her biomechanical body, tendrils, and nightmare train sequence.
Who played the young version of Sil at the start of the movie?
Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams portrayed the young twelve-year-old Sil in the opening laboratory escape scenes, marking one of her earliest screen roles.
How many sequels were made to Species?
The film launched a four-movie franchise: theatrical sequel Species II in 1998, followed by two direct-to-television sequels, Species III in 2004 and Species: The Awakening in 2007.
Did Natasha Henstridge do her own stunts?
Henstridge performed several of her own physical scenes, while stunt doubles and animatronic suits created by Steve Johnson's XFX studio were utilized for heavy creature transformations and stunts.
