Speciesis a science-fiction horror series, with the first film coming out in 1995, revolving around alien-human hybrids after extraterrestrial DNA has been sent to Earth. Unfortunately, the hybrids gradually prove to be dangerous and risk destroying the human race through copulation. The initial story revolves around a hybrid dubbed “Sil,” played by actress Natasha Henstridge, with other similar hybrids serving as the focal characters of the latter films.
The first film ended up spawning a franchise, with three additional films: a theatrically released sequel and two television films. While the first three try to tell a connected story, the fourth serves as a standalone sequel. Fans often compare the films and debate which one has the best quality, whether they’re comparing the story of the visuals. Of course, overall, it’s hard to deny the films have their fans, with the films going on to inspire novelizations and comics.
4Species III (2004)
While the first sequel waited a few years to start up the story,Species IIItakes place almost immediately after the second film. The ambulance transporting Eve gets ambushed, with Portus, one of Patrick’s children, killing Eve after she gives birth.
Genetic Perfection’s No Dream, It’s a Nightmare
One of the drivers, Dr. Bruce Abbot, goes back to his regular job at a university, where he teaches the morality of deciding which species gets to live or die. He also secretly raises Eve’s child, whom he calls Sara. One day, he encounters an aged Portus, who dies after revealing other hybrids of dying of a strange illness. Abbot teams up with Dean, a student in need of funds, to help perfect the alien DNA.
Sara reaches adulthood through a cocoon and soon seeks out a mate. She soon encounters another hybrid, but her rejection causes him to break into the lab, fatally wounding Abbot. Meanwhile, Dean’s roommate, Hastings, uses his notes to impress an online date with an interest in biochemists, little realizing the woman, Amelia, is another hybrid. Soon, both Sara and Amelia force a kidnapped Hastings to perfect the DNA.
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Amelia is destroyed at a showdown at a power plant. However, However, Dean managed to save Sara, who had saved him from Amelia, and created a mate for her. However, after they go on their way, Dean later reveals in secret that the mate was made sterile, meaning there’s no threat of hybrids.
Of the films, the third is especially infamous for its inferior prosthetics. Natasha Henstridge also notably reprises her role of Eve in the film, having been contractually obligated to appear. David’s solution of giving Sara a sterile mate is something readers have often thoughtFrankensteinshould’ve thought ofwhen his monster came asking for a mate.
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3Species: The Awakening (2007)
Species: The Awakeningis the final film of the franchise, serving as a stand-alone sequel. The plot revolves around Miranda Hollander, a college professor who lives with her uncle, Tom, a museum employee. Miranda has strange abilities, like being able to read by touch. On her birthday, she passes out and awakens into an alien form, killing multiple people.
The Sequel That Brings, or Burns, Down the House
Tom is able to find Miranda, inject her with human hormones, andtake her to Mexico. It soon comes to light that Miranda was actually created from an experiment fusing human and alien DNA. Miranda’s humanity has been maintained so far through the injections. In Mexico, they find Forbes McGuire, Tom’s friend who helped him with the experiment. They also come across another experimental hybrid, Azura.
It comes to light that Miranda is dying and her transformation into her alien form comes from her body’s attempts to harness its greater immune system. The only hope is an injection of fresh human DNA, which will require a human sacrifice. While Miranda is horrified by this, Tom searches for a donor after she loses consciousness.
Miranda is saved, but starts acting strangely upon her revival, with her alien side becoming more dominant, driving her to find a new mate. Tom hopes to save Miranda and fix the imbalance, while Forbes ends up becoming Miranda’s mate. Miranda starts losing her humanity again, but still resists becoming a pure alien.
Thanking Tom for creating her, Miranda is fatally wounded protecting him from Azura, who has transformed into a full alien. Tom then sadly leaves the house, after setting it up to explode.
The film has been noted for being slightly tamer than the previous incarnations, as well as having younger characters. The design of the aliens in the film was also meant to serve as a throwback to the earlier films as opposed toSpecies III, attempting to appease fans of the franchise. Interestingly, this film used stand-ins for the aliens, while the earlier films used animatronics.
2Species II (1998)
Species IIis the immediate sequel to 1995’sSpecies, taking place around two years after the original story. A few actors from the original film appear in the sequel, either reprising their characters or playing new ones.
A Deadly Trip To the Red Planet
The story starts off with a trip to Mars, in which American astronauts collect soil samples. One of the samples, however, contains alien DNA, which tries to infect those on board. Meanwhile, a group of scientists attempt to createa more benevolent cloneof Sil called Eve, in the hopes of better understanding the alien life forms behind the events in the first film.
The astronauts are under examination and kept in quarantine, notably being kept from sexual activities. However, one astronaut, Patrick, disobeys, causing a woman identified as the Debutante to undergo an accelerated pregnancy, in turn causing her to immediately and fatally give birth to a hybrid child.
All the while, Patrick’s actions seem to have an influence on Eve. Soon, it comes to light that the alien DNA is similar to Eve’s. Baker and Press reunite to take down the threat, as they learn fossils were found on Mars that weren’t native to the planet, but forces want to silence the truth.
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Patrick causes the death of his own fiancée after she also gives birth to a hybrid. Patrick attempts to take his life, but this only causesthe alien DNA inside himto take control, which desires to create new hybrids. Eve is used to track Patrick, but she starts becoming less human herself. As Patrick hopes to destroy the human race, he and Eve finding each other becomes a looming threat. Even when the two are dispatched, there is still the risk of another hybrid child.
Generally, the film was less liked than the original, with many finding the ending predictable. The idea of creating a clone of Sil has merit. After all, the scientists need to research the DNA of potential invaders, especially after they have already served as a risk to life on Earth once before.
1Species (1995)
Speciesis the film that started the franchise. While coming out in 1995, the project had been in development since the 1980s, in which it was originally more of a police procedural calledThe Message. While searching for life on other planets, Earth scientists share information about Earth through transmissions. Soon, they get a response from a source claiming how to develop unlimited fuel. The source also sends a sample of their DNA, complete with instructions on how to splice it with humans.
The Film That Started the Franchise
The ensuing experiment brings about the creation of a hybrid named “Sil,” who resembles a human girl. However, when she proves to be violent enough to convince the scientists to put her down, she escapes. Now that she’s free, she risks mating with human males and creating offspring that could destroy the human race.
A government team is formed to take her down, including Dr. Stephen Arden, an anthropologist, Dr. Laura Baker, a biologist, Dan Smithson, an empath, and Preston “Press” Lennox, a hired mercenary. All the while, Sil kills anyone who could potentially expose her.
Failing to find a proper mate, Sil kidnaps a woman with the hopes of stealing her identity, which enables her to ultimately fake her own death. She soon seduces Arden, instantly becoming pregnant and killing him once he’s no longer useful to her. The surviving team manage to take down Sil and her offspring. However, theyfail to notice a ratfeeding on her remains, mutating it.
Of the four, the original is generally regarded as the fan-favorite, with the prosthetics being seen as well-done,if a bit aged. Of course, the sequels assure this would not be the end of the story. Ultimately, the story explores the idea: what would happen if aliens labeled humans as a weed?
