Species 4: Das Erwachen

MGM's Species franchise, like Wishmaster and The Crow, is a perfect example of the law of diminishing returns. Roger Donaldson's 1995 hit Species was a stylish, self-consciously trashy homage to B-movies. One that has had its scenario rehashed three times now.

One would expect a low-budget sequel to revel in sleaze and gore, but since 2004, when the concept was resurrected, 6 years after the cinema release of the disastrous Species 2 (1998), for the direct-to-DVD market, there has been a surprising resistance to the gratuitous ingredients of sex and violence. Species 3 paid little more than lip service to the desires of the target audience and the same is true here.

Deviating from the plot line established by the first three films, which featured Natasha Henstridge, The Awakening is a standalone feature that references and reimagines the ideas of the first film. It posits an alternative scenario; what if the scientist played by Sir Ben Kingsley in the original had not kept the young girl like a rat in cage? What if he'd raised her like his own?

This could have made for an intriguing exploration of nature versus nurture. Had Henstridge's Sil been allowed to develop in a more normal way could her dangerous, alien side have been suppressed? Alas there is little such depth to this cheap cash-in.

Kingsley's role is reinterpreted by fellow British thespian Ben Cross, while Swede Helena Mattsson (who looks a bit like Nicole Kidman) takes over where Henstridge and Sunny Mabrey left off. With only four key cast members and no sign of even Michael Madsen, The Awakening is the weakest of exploitation films. Only the audience is being exploited.

A studio like MGM isn't short of cash, so the explanation for the cheapness of this film is clear; they knew they can get away with it and turn an easy profit. Studios like The Asylum have their desperately limited resources to explain their crass and dissatisfactory efforts, but there's simply no excuse for a Species film to be as unspectacular as this.

Feeling more like a cross between a vampire movie and a retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein than a sexy sci-fi movie, Nick Lyon's film merely coasts on tenuous links to its predecessors. There are the HR Giger-inspired creature costumes and the promise of flesh is vaguely satisfied but there's not much effort or imagination. Were it not for a few gratuitous moments and aggressive curse words this could have been made for mainstream TV.

Lyons does well to pay homage to the original film and its subtext but seems to have forgotten how tongue-in-cheek it all was. Species 4 should have taken things to a cartoonish extreme. Instead what could have been knowingly amusing is just po-faced and embarrassing. From Dominic Keating's terrible Aussie accent to the fact that the alien hybrids use their tongues as weapons, at one point they shoot icicle-like spears from their mouths in bullet-time, the experience is one of contradiction.

The original Species really went for it. Utterly shameless titillation. The sequel went further, but in a misjudged, sleazy and misogynistic direction. Perhaps this is why the following two instalments have been so tame. The Awakening, as evidenced by its 15 rating, delivers the bare minimum that one could expect from a film with the Species title. Cautiously exploitative.

Like its heroine, The Awakening is in denial, trying its best not to give in to its primitive instincts. There's the potential for a wild ride in its concept and its plot, but Lyons takes it so seriously that the only laughs come unintentionally. This is a film in which a back alley scientist creates sex-crazed human/alien hybrids that run around Mexico! One of them dresses as demonic nun and leaps between rooftops, lassoing potential prey with its tongue; this is potentially hilarious stuff! But it's stripped bare, like its heroine in the final act, devoid of emotion. This is a film of wasted opportunities.

One day, college professor(yeah, right... she's about as convincing as a dummy) Miranda falls ill. She is then told by her "uncle"(who now admits that he is not related to her) that she was a science experiment of his, of combining alien and human DNA. Yes, like in the original. Only no cocooning, seemingly no sped-up growth, and she had no idea until she suddenly transformed... apparently because she was dying. Which makes it kinda strange that she's still powerful. This takes several good ideas, including that of someone's memories being a lie repeated until they accepted it and themes straight out of the story of Dr. Frankenstein and utterly *wastes* all this potential. The acting and production values are the level of a soap opera, as another reviewer notes. Locations are dull, lighting is poor, and the camera is constantly trying to fake tension(of which there is none to be found in the entirety of this) by shaking/excessively moving and using close-ups(something that only renders these horrendous performances even less tolerable). The dialog is just plain bad, and flat like the great plains. We get additional instances of "learning without opening the book", something that was idiotic when it was introduced in the third(that this does not, by the way, follow up on the sequel-baiting ending of). There are countless questions raised by the cheese(Swiss, by the way) that is the plot, and none of them are attempted answered. As if all of that wasn't enough, the creatures in this pose. They attack with no reason, and usually with their tongue(what a lack of creativity). One of them initially appears dressed as a nun. I'll let that sink in. We see them too much, for long periods of time, and the guy who's making them in this isn't worried about them in the least(so why should we be?). Oh, and he earns a living cloning dead pets(and apparently people, as well? And combining them with the extra-terrestrial genetic material, in spite of the fact that that's probably tougher to do than simply making a direct copy), so surely no one will be suspicious of him when bodies are found murdered under strange circumstances(and this seems to be a common occurrence, based on what takes place during the events of this). The characters are bland, stereotypical, and/or completely uninteresting. I couldn't care about anyone in this, at all. Hollander is inconsistently written. FX are cheap. There is slow-motion during a fight sequence. In a monster flick! There's hardly any nudity(granted, the chicks are hot... still, when they strip, it tends to be covered or they shoot around it), sex, bloody, gory violence or strong language. This is the stupidest and worst of the Species series, and it is also the only that doesn't lend itself easily to being followed by another entry, so perhaps it can end here. Let's be honest, only the '95 one was worth the time. I recommend this solely to those who won't heed the warning. 2/10

Compared to "Species: The Awakening", the third instalment looks like "Gone With The Wind"!

Why did I bother to watch right to the end? A glutton for punishment, clearly.

Mercifully, this is the fourth and final chapter of the Species saga. And it was a slog, with a barely-coherent plot, barely-watchable acting and a stench of super-low budget about the whole thing.

Gone is the fun and horror of the great first film and the good second one. Gone, too, are Natasha Henstridge, Marg Helgenberger and Michael Madsen. In their place are poor, poor facsimiles.

As another reviewer mentioned, there isn't even much in the way of gratuitous - aka largely unnecessary, but there anyway - sexy and nudity that you expect from made-for-TV spin-offs of big screen movies with plenty of nudity and sex.

The stunning Helena Mattsson is about the only good thing about this movie. Except the end credits.

Species: The Awakening feels like a shadow of what the franchise once promised. While the original Species had its share of flaws, it at least offered an intriguing mix of sci-fi and horror. This fourth installment, unfortunately, lacks the creativity and tension that made the first film memorable.

The plot tries to introduce a new angle with a professor discovering her alien origins, but it quickly devolves into a predictable series of events. The story struggles to sustain interest, and the characters are thinly developed, leaving little room for emotional investment.

The special effects and makeup work, while passable for a straight-to-DVD release, can't compensate for the weak script and uninspired direction. The horror elements feel forced, and the sci-fi aspect, which could have been fascinating, is barely explored.

While the film deserves some credit for attempting to expand the Species lore, it's clear that the franchise has run out of steam by this point. Even the action sequences, which could have added some excitement, feel half-hearted and unoriginal.

Unless you're a die-hard fan of the Species series, this entry offers little to recommend. It's a lackluster effort that fails to recapture the intrigue and excitement of its predecessors. A missed opportunity to close the series on a high note.

If you're gonna watch schlock, make sure it's got a hottie or two and a large tub of goo. CGI is remedial but better than the Alien franchises 3rd and 4th installments. Plot obviously rehashed wherein the protagonist isn't aware of the bug under her rug so to speak but acting all around is decent.

The only way for Miranda to go on, is to do what sexy bugs from space do, and that is invade what we got and snatch it like most aliens are want to do.

The film has a new take on chest bursting, that is if you consider Miranda's heaving bosom taught and riddled with curdling blue veins.

Ironically most of the aliens are found in Mexico where they get off on what they call "harvesting." Tentacles and boobs gone wild.

Like her lab daddy says halfway through, "I'm truly sorry." Nuff said.