Review of Species / Species 2 / Species 3 (Box Set)

Introduction

Let me tell you a quick story. I`ve had a review copy of Species III since January, waiting around for a release of the disc so I that could post a review of the film. Nearly 9 months later, a box set of the three Species films is to be released. This then is my review of the first and third films, as I don`t have a copy of Species 2 on DVD (but I have seen it and it`s a bit rubbish).

Species is probably known to most as the film which launched Natasha Henstridge`s "career". Can you remember watching her in anything else? Apart from straight to DVD heist flick Steal (which isn`t all that bad) I don`t remember any of her other films so what you are basically left with is Species and then Species III.

In Species, Earth scientists have been experimenting with alien DNA (as ever) and don`t like what they come up with (a fast developing young girl called Sil), so naturally they decide to kill it. But they make a mess of it and Sil escapes. They decide to bring in their special team to track her down, and this team consist of a special agent, a psychic, a molecular biologist, and an anthropologist. Together they hunt the maturing Sil, who`s on her own personal mission to have sex and kill a few people along the way.

Species III is pretty much the same story. Sara, (Sil`s daughter, who kills her mother in childbirth), also goes off on a mission to have sex and kill people, but she is actually hunting for another member of her race to breed with. There`s not really much more to the plot.

Video

Species sports a pretty good 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer which looks like a reasonable effort. There`s plenty of detail, the night scenes look good and the colour pallette is very pleasant. Shadow detail is good and there`s a very agreeable lack of print damage. Sometimes it looks a bit strange in places, but on the whole it`s ok.

Species III is not so good. There`s quite a bit of grain on this 1.78:1 anamorphic print, and despite being a much newer film than Species, it actually looks worse. Granted, the budget was much lower but you can still get a good transfer from low budget films. The effects have moved on since the first film, but the limited budget again hinders them.

Audio

My review copy of Species contained only a DD5.1 soundtrack. It`s a pretty good effort, but it seems that it comes from an earlier release. So I can`t comment whether any work has been done since then, and whether the new soundtracks that are supposed to be on the retail disc are an improvement over the older ones.

The review soundtrack is ok, with lots of science fiction action sound effects, a few nice explosions and plenty of atmospherics.

Species III comes with a DD5.1 soundtrack, which is a pretty average effort. It`s functional, it does the job, there are a few nice atmospherics, but the whole "low budget ethos" just seems to pervade here.

Features

Extras for Species

Allegedly there are audio commentaries on disc 1, but my review disc didn`t contain any. It didn`t even have any menus on the first disc either. However, there were plenty of extras on disc 2, so let`s take a tour through them.

The Origin tells you how the film came about, with a collection of interviews and behind the scenes footage which gives you plenty of background to the film.

The Concept delves further into the plot and writing of the film, with further footage to back it up.

The Discovery and Designing a Hybrid concentrate largely on the character of Sil and on Natasha Henstridge, and how it launched her career to the silver screen.

H.R. Giger: Designing Species - the legend that is Giger tells us all about creating the alien on show here (which looks a lot like some of his more famous aliens). There`s also lots of behind the scenes stuff too.

Alternate Ending does exactly what it says on the tin, but it`s a terrible cheese stuffed ending and not hard to see why it was dropped.

Species III: Set Invasion is a prime example in dead horse flogging. Not content with one awful sequel, they`ve made another, and this PR fluff is here to promote it. More on that in a moment.

Extras for Species III

First up we have a commentary featuring director Brad Turner, writer Ben Ripley and actor Robin Dunne. As you might expect from such a rotten film, the commentary isn`t much better.

There are also four "featurettes" which are mainly the tired old PR fluff found on rubbish DVDs.

Evolution has a few interviews with cast and crew.

Species DNA features more interviews, but again tells you little about the background of the film.

Alien Technology is slightly more interesting in that it concentrates on the special effects and CGI.

Intelligent Life Forms is a quick look on how the alien differs from the earlier films. Nothing of much interest really.

Conclusion

Species

I remember going to see this film at the cinema. It was pretty average back then and it hasn`t really aged all that well. The special effects go from bad to worse, although they were reasonably cutting edge at the time. But now the stop-motion alien looks out of place, although Giger`s designs are still fresh.

The story itself is a simple stereotype and wouldn`t have been out of place in some low budget 1980s horror flick. But there are plenty of action packed set pieces to keep you entertained, so you don`t drift off. And of course you just know there will be some grisly deaths along the way. At the end of the day it makes a fun rental, but I don`t know why you would want to buy it and watch it again as it has very little value on subsequent viewings. And the less said about the sequels the better. Except I`ll have to say something abouth them in a minute.

The DVD package is a fine effort given the film itself, with good picture and sound which might be better on the released version. The extras package is a good one too, so this is a good set for the first film in the series, it`s just a shame that the main feature isn`t all it`s cracked up to be.

This disc rates as follows:-

6 8 8 6 6

Species III

The law of diminishing returns screams out loud once again. Another series where the sequels get progressively worse. Species III is worse than Species 2. Species was a bit of fun, but this is just painful.

The DVD itself is an average effort befitting of such a poor film.

This disc rates as follows:-

3 6 7 4 3

This is a box set that you shouldn`t buy. If you really want to, just buy the DVD of the first film. Don`t buy this set with one average film being dragged down by 2 films that just get worse the longer they go on.