Review of Species III (2005) by Peter H — 16 May 2011

SPECIES 3( Video) [2004] it's now day three in this review marathon of the SPECIES saga with the first two parts over and now with the last two to go how bad can SPECIES 3 possibly be? The original SPEICES [1995] was critically panned but never the less it spawned Michael Madsen's most hated film he was involved with SPECIES 2 [1997] which with the original reviews was EVEN more critically panned by the critics and resulted in a massive box-office flop. But by the year 2003 the first two SPECIES films had spawned a cult following which lead to MGM green lighting not another theatrical sequel to the SPECIES series but a direct-to-DVD sequel aimed solely at this series fans and cult audiences.

With MGM Studio's and their DVD releases (unlike most other Major Hollywood Studio's) caters to the trash-junkie Cult Audiences with the likes of their brilliant MIDNITE MOVIES DVD's saw the need to make a third SPECIES film just to exploit those loopy cult cinema hounds cash by offering yet another trashy instalment into an otherwise rubbish series. With completing the first half of the series and both theatrically released SPECIES films the next half of the series dawns for me in this 4 day review series, both Straight to DVD SPEICES films. So how bad can this series sink without a theatrical release? Well let's dive right into the wonder of SPECIES 3.

DAY 3 SPECIES 3(Video) [2004]: With straight to DVD sequel there is no hope in hell they can be good right? Well don't bother with SPEICES 3 to raise your expectations of seeing a brilliant straight to video films. The best they can be is good but much like the sequel syndrome that's only 40% of them but the rest of these sorts of films are generally bad. Ok SPEICES 3 is a sequel to the ho-hum SPECIES 2 but thankfully it keeps within that films sprit which isn't a good thing.

THE PLOTLINE.

The film picks off were the last film left off when the remains of Eve are being transported in the same field ambulance seen at the end of the last film. In typical SPECIES fashion she comes back to life and gives birth to the most genetically pure Alien of all and dies, but with one of the crews' ambition to breed a better Alien (who turns out to be a collage professor) starts another chain of Extra-Terrestrial events. The Professor raises Eve's daughter and calls her Sara but when an ambitious Collage Student's funding is cut he then for various reasons decides to help the professor in a spin on the Mad Doctor and Assistant relationship manner.

Sara grows into a super hot blonde woman and like Sil and Eve before her she has the urge to mate with any man she comes across. But with her being a genetically pure Half-Alien/human she can find the ideal mate amongst any human males or other half breeds. The rest of the plot comes across as a hockey put on which becomes just as silly as the previous two films narrative, even though the makers of the film try so hard to expand the series universe which fails miserably.

THE ACTING, SCRIPTING, DIRECTION, AND CINEMA PHOTOGRAPHY.

Somehow I don't need to comment too much on this films performances, some come across as a tad wooden while others try to have fun but all the cast are well aware that they are involved with a straight to DVD film. Am I unfairly criticising this cast efforts? No I'm just stating the obvious because I knew what to expect acting that isn't Shakespearian but more of a University film style of acting and besides it doesn't matter with the rest like the Scripting, Direction, and Cinema Photography because it's a third film in an otherwise average Sic-Fi series. The one thing I must comment on at least the makers of this film made this film not too serious, entertaining and kept in with the first two films obsession with amounts of Sex, Female Nudity and Gore but as a whole with this films effort to flesh out a shallow 2D idea doesn't work too well.

Overall Thoughts: Before I end this review here is a quick recap of my ratings so far for the first two films SPEICES [1995] my rating was 60%, SPECIES 2 [1997] my rating was 50% and for SPECIES 3[2004] my rating is 40%. Why is that you might ask? Personally this sequel comes across as a bunch of lame fun but gets ruined by its put-on third act and supposedly emotionally aimed ending between Sara and the Collage student just doesn't work well for a SPEICES film.

So at this point this film from the looks of it seems like worst of the bunch right? Well tomorrow the fourth SPEICES film which is SPECIES - THE AWAKENING, let's hope it's a bit better that this right? Yeah Right!