Species (Especie mortal)

After a second viewing I have to acknowledge that this is a solid crappy B-movie with a sexy Natasha, who alone deserves one star. And I’m giving it a second one for my favourite Michael Madsen. But an actor of the calibre of Ben Kingsley deserves better stuff. (20.09.2003)

This movie has all the shortcomings typical of 90s action movies. And there were quite a few. But it also has that 90s charm that I miss nowadays. Actually, I miss action movies, period. These days, it's always the same story - fighting against global terrorism, Russian criminals of all kinds, full of exaggerated CGI. What happened to the good old aliens? I guess that would be too politically incorrect. What you usually get now are creatures like those in Jupiter Ascending (2015), but you hardly see awesome aliens with tentacles like in Japanese anime porn. That's probably the main reason (along with the striking Natasha Henstridge) why I enjoyed rewatching this movie so much. It goes without saying that my rating and review are purely subjective, but I must strongly warn anyone who reads it against any hasty decisions. If you are tempted to watch this movie, please realize that its value is strictly nostalgic. It mostly consists of action, sci-fi, logical holes, violence towards children, inappropriately (but beautifully) exposed Natasha Henstridge, and artificial-looking underground spaces. Initially, I wanted to give it four stars, but as a protest against today's standards, I'll give it a five. / Lesson learned: If you decide to breed aliens, do not neglect their upbringing and education. (08.01.2023)