Species: The Awakening
DVD 
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Director:
Nick Lyon Actors: Helena Mattsson Ben Cross Marco Bacuzzi Rating:
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WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
A hottie science professor learns her "uncle" genetically created her with a combination of human and alien DNA, the alien portion of which has begun to take over.
IS IT A GOOD MOVIE?
You can usually tell how bad a straight-to-DVD sequel is going to be based on its subtitle; or really, if it has a subtitle at all. Anything with "The ________" is fairly sure sign that crappiness will ensue, but it's what fills in the blank that matters most. Sometimes it's "Beginning", or "Return", or in this case, "Awakening". I suppose they called the film that because the alien inside the female protagonist "awakens", so to speak. More likely though, they just needed a subtitle, and "The Awakening" was the best thing they could think of. Ah, the creative minds behind SPECIES IV at work. (Oops, sorry, SPECIES: THE AWAKENING.)
Unfortunately, I cannot compare the quality of this latest sequel to the previous two installments (the third of which was also a straight-to-DVD production). Reason being, I don't hate myself enough to endure sitting through them. I have, however, seen the first SPECIES, so I can tell you with ease that this one pales in comparison. And the first SPECIES wasn't even that good; it was basically just a science fiction-themed porno sans the X-rated material. THE AWAKENING, meanwhile, doesn't even deserve to be called a sexless porno, since there's no real nudity or hanky panky until the final half hour (which is an endless amount of time to wait, considering how boring everything up until that point is). Even after all that waiting, the scenes have zero erotic appeal... unless of course you have a fetish for alien intercourse.
To save you the trouble of sitting through over an hour of soap opera-level acting and an even worse attempt at drama (which stunningly takes up the majority of the film's runtime), here's a breakdown of the action sequences: alien girl kills people in hospital with tongue, guy gets chased by alien nun, alien taxicab driver acts like asshole (doesn't get tip), alien girl finally becomes evil and starts seducing guys, alien girl fights other alien girl, end movie. These short spurts of action are easily the film's most notable asset, partially because they're actually pretty decent in comparison to what you'd usually see in movies suitable only for the Sci-Fi Channel, and partially because the rest of the film is so goddamn awful.
Normally the action featured here would be worthy of a recommendation (at least for the type of people interested in seeing yet another SPECIES sequel), but as mentioned earlier, there's so much terrible drama that waiting for the good stuff becomes a chore. The biggest annoyance in tow is a trait that seems to recur quite often in movies of this sort; that being, the supposed genius scientists all act like utter morons. Specifically, the lead female, who despite being a "sponge of knowledge" can't manage to do anything but walk around dumbfounded for the entirety of the film. You're part alien, bitch! Start asking some f*cking questions! And while you're at it, learn to act, too.
Unfortunately, I cannot compare the quality of this latest sequel to the previous two installments (the third of which was also a straight-to-DVD production). Reason being, I don't hate myself enough to endure sitting through them. I have, however, seen the first SPECIES, so I can tell you with ease that this one pales in comparison. And the first SPECIES wasn't even that good; it was basically just a science fiction-themed porno sans the X-rated material. THE AWAKENING, meanwhile, doesn't even deserve to be called a sexless porno, since there's no real nudity or hanky panky until the final half hour (which is an endless amount of time to wait, considering how boring everything up until that point is). Even after all that waiting, the scenes have zero erotic appeal... unless of course you have a fetish for alien intercourse.
To save you the trouble of sitting through over an hour of soap opera-level acting and an even worse attempt at drama (which stunningly takes up the majority of the film's runtime), here's a breakdown of the action sequences: alien girl kills people in hospital with tongue, guy gets chased by alien nun, alien taxicab driver acts like asshole (doesn't get tip), alien girl finally becomes evil and starts seducing guys, alien girl fights other alien girl, end movie. These short spurts of action are easily the film's most notable asset, partially because they're actually pretty decent in comparison to what you'd usually see in movies suitable only for the Sci-Fi Channel, and partially because the rest of the film is so goddamn awful.
Normally the action featured here would be worthy of a recommendation (at least for the type of people interested in seeing yet another SPECIES sequel), but as mentioned earlier, there's so much terrible drama that waiting for the good stuff becomes a chore. The biggest annoyance in tow is a trait that seems to recur quite often in movies of this sort; that being, the supposed genius scientists all act like utter morons. Specifically, the lead female, who despite being a "sponge of knowledge" can't manage to do anything but walk around dumbfounded for the entirety of the film. You're part alien, bitch! Start asking some f*cking questions! And while you're at it, learn to act, too.
THE EXTRAS
Nothing. I, for one, am grateful for it.
FINAL DIAGNOSIS
Unless you desperately loved the past SPECIES films, this latest sequel isn't even worth a glance. And I mean really loved.
