Species: The Awakening Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Irresistable beauty. Unstoppable instincts.
A scientist, Dr Holander, takes his niece Miranda to Mexico in an attempt to reverse the effects of the alien DNA he used to create her. However the treatment goes horribly wrong, and sets Miranda on a killing spree as she sets out to find a mate.
| Helena Mattsson | Miranda |
| Ben Cross | Tom Hollander |
| Marco Bacuzzi | Rinaldo |
| Edy Arellano | Calderón |
| Roger Cudney | Leland Fisk |
| Felipe de Lara | Burke |
| German Fabregat | Technician |
| Alizair Gomez | Mexican Boy #2 |
| Eleazar Gómez | Student #3 |
| Harding Junior | Student #1 |
| Dominic Keating | Forbes McGuire |
| Greg Lucas | Jogger |
| Adrian Makala | Paramedic |
| Jorge Malpica | Church Warden |
| Mauricio Martinez | Dalton |
| Nick Lyon |
4.30 out of 10 (546 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Don't waste your time.
posted on 23 Jul 2009I liked the first one. The second one was pretty much just an excuse to show as many boobs as possible. The third one definitely exceeded both the second film and my expectations. Honestly they should have left the story where it was at the end of species three.This movie had almost nothing to do with the first three. None of the same characters and it doesn't explain how the scientists got there hands on the alien DNA. The idea's not bad, but after the first chase scene in the streets of Mexico the movie shifts to a series of dimly-lit night sequences which make it hard to even understand what's going on. And let's be honest here: a large focal point/selling factor for this series is the sexuality that goes along with these reproducing aliens. The nude scenes were pretty pointless in this film. There was enough shown to attempt some arousal but the lighting was so bad that it's hard to make out what's even happening. If they wanted an excuse for nudity they should have lit the stages better. If they wanted to just convey the sexual point in the story they shouldn't have filmed full body sex.Basically if you were happy with how they ended number 3, don't waste your emotions getting involved with these unrelated characters. If you just wanted to see boobs, pick a different movie.Either way steer clear because you'll be disappointed no later than halfway through the film.
number 4 in the series
posted on 21 Jul 2009i can't say this is an awful movie.it's just that it is so slow.until the last 15 minutes,nothing much happens.there is very little excitement,and i didn't find the storyline compelling.nor were there any great characters.there is some nudity,which doesn't really bother me.i am a guy,after all.and though there isn't a lot of profanity,what profanity there was,i felt was unnecessary and did not have any context in the movie.i don't mind profanity,but there should be a purpose or reason for it.but there is some good news.the special makeup and creature effects were pretty good overall.the acting was OK.and this movie is certainly better than the unfortunate Species 2.i don't think it's as good as the original Species,and it's certainly nowhere near as good as Species 3,which to me,is the best of the series.to me,this movie is somewhere in the middle.i give Species:The Awakening 5/10
This shouldn't be a Species movie
posted on 02 May 2009It just didn't work.Alien nun? WTF? Alien taxi driver? And he tries to kill his passenger for what reason? They live in Mexico? Where where they the rest of the time? So why are they suddenly just killing people when Ben Cross and the Blonde chick come into town? Wasn't good...wasn't scary, wasn't science fiction...just wasn't workable.The writers could have come up with something more creative for the paycheck...and the locations could have been chosen better too.Basically, it all could have been better.Yeah...as far as sequels go...it should be written by the same people - especially if the script was big enough to have a sequel.
I Agree with MAh on this review
posted on 17 Mar 2009http://www.horror-movies.ca/horror_reviews_2728.htmSpecies 4: The Awakening Movie Reviewby: Meh We all know that SciFi films are not exactly the top of the bar when it comes to movies, or horror movies for that matter. I am here however to stun you all. As bad as Species 3 was, Species 4 is actually kinda fun. Thats right Species 4: The Awakening actually has some merits. Great special FX, good acting and even the expected low grade shooting styles have been stepped up. This is an MGM SciFi movie not a LionsGate SciFi movie. You can interpret that however you like.The premise of the movie is a young woman discovers she's actually the genetic crossbreed between human and alien. She discovers her loving uncle is in fact the man who made her, and they set off on a cross country trek to Mexico to find out why she is sick. Species is one of those franchises that has gone down the toilet very steeply as of recently and I am happy to say that although #4 is nowhere near as good as the first film was it is night and day better then Species 3. Its action packed, the FX are nicely done and their is a good enough body count to keep you horror hungry horror fans happy.Species 4 has a cast of B actors who do a great job at carrying the story and the level of CHEESE in the plot and characters was kept to a bare minimum making for overall a well put together made for TV sci-fi horror film. I think that folks who like SciFi Network films will love this movie and people who hate them will actually say 'Hey this ain't half bad'.
Great Movie, wish it was theatrical
posted on 13 Mar 2009I watched a screener of this film and have to say I was positively surprised. I was expecting a really bad movie, which it wasn't. I thoroughly enjoyed it and think that Helena Mattsson will be a new star after people see her in this. As a Enterprise fan, I also have to admit that I have a soft spot for Dominic Keating. He is so entertaining. I don't know much of Ben Cross's work, but he seems very good and I want to see him in more Sci-fi movies. The plot wasn't bad either, but it was at times a bit underdeveloped. But as a woman, I thought this would be a big booby fest but it wasn't. It was a good movie. I give it a thumbs up and hope that more films come out like it.
This is what the second one should have been
posted on 11 Mar 2009Whenever a movie franchise, especially on that is horror or sci-fi, gets past the third entry, it is always a red flag. When you look at the history of Species, this is especially true. The sleeper hit that was the first one was followed by a horrendous excuse for a movie in part 2 and a ho hum, boring part 3. I am happy to report that "The Awakening" is easily the best sequel of the three.The movie takes a completely different direction with the alien DNA that was sent to us from space than it predecessors. We first learn that college professor Miranda Hollander, while appearing to be a very beautiful woman, is in fact a hybrid, created by her "uncle" Tom and his former student Forbes. Miranda had lived a normal human life until she is found one morning lying naked in the woods. She is taken to a hospital, where she soon transforms and slaughters the staff. Tom finds her unconscious and rushes her to Mexico to find Forbes, who may be able to cure her illness. They find Forbes in a small town and discover that he has been creating more hybrids that, like Miranda, appear totally normal (and are also sterile). Forbes, along with his alien play-toy Azura, inform Tom that Miranda is at the end of her life cycle and will die unless they do a stem cell transfusion, which will in-turn kill the cell donor. Though reluctant, Tom finally agrees. The procedure appears to work, until Miranda awakens as a more sexy, vulgar version of herself. The procedure also undid her sterility and she begins looking for a mate. Tom knows he must stop her, but is torn because she is like his daughter. She does shortly thereafter mate with Forbes, killing him after. But Tom again finds her unconscious as the baby kicks inside her. Tom takes her back to the lab where her human side dies as the baby grows. Azura returns with the intent to kill Tom, only to engage Miranda. Azura stabs Miranda twice in the stomach, killing her and the baby but Tom kills Azura with a hydrochloric acid-laced shotgun shell. Tom then watches Miranda die before turning on all the gas in the building and lighting a fire. He walks out as the entire building erupts into flames.While in no way a masterpiece, this movie has the most feeling of any of the four. You actually feel for Miranda as she slowly wilts away before she is reborn as a sexy vixen. Helena Mattsson is a mighty fine actress (in more ways than one) and brings a dimension to one of the alien creatures that hadn't been seen since Michelle Willaims played the young Sil in the first film. Ben Cross's Tom, on the other hand, is always teetering between being unwantedly over the top and too distraught. Some of his scenes make you want to laugh at the cheese but he is serviceable. Forbes, played by Dominic Keating, is your atypical movie asshole that doesn't care about the mess he makes, as long as he comes out on top. And Marlena Favela as Azura is .... well... she's very hot. That's about it. Her lines are were often delivered very over the top. But as a hot alien chick, she works.Some people have complained that a Species movie without Natasha Henstridge is just not right. Well, this movie is better than two of the previous installments and is even in the same realm as the original. And (thank god), they did not leave us with some stupid cliffhanger to set up a sequel. It was an open and shut case, which is how the first one should have been 12 years ago but I digress. While the budget for this movie was a fraction of 1 & 2, the settings are all very nice and the effects are some of the best in the series. The new look alien is a breath of fresh air after the monstrosity that was Sarah's alien form in 3.All in all, one of the better direct to DVD movies I've ever seen. It breathed some air into a way past dead franchise and even though it didn't bring it back from the dead, it was a great entry to the Speices mythos. 7/10
Alien it ain't
posted on 07 Mar 2009I was expecting it to be a bit cheesy and low-budget-looking, but I wasn't expecting to be insulted.This "film" has similar production values and acting caliber as you will find in an average daytime soap.It's as if the crew of "Days of Our Lives" borrowed the studio's gear for a weekend and went and shot a "Sci-Fi/Thriller" because those are popular these days, so we should be able to make some cash with it.It wasn't scary, wasn't thrilling, wasn't even sci-fi-y, just boring and predictable. No plot, bad lighting, laughable critters, wooden acting, no reason at all to force yourself to sit through a turd like this one.The rave reviews here have to be from people associated with the production, or else who haven't actually seen the "film".Avoid at all cost.
The best since the original
posted on 23 Feb 2009OK I was hoping that the fourth Species installment would be good, but I was truly surprised that it was this good. After seeing the second and third one, I thought I was convinced that they couldn't make another one that would match up to the original with Natasha Henstridge but I was wrong because this one came very close. The story is very entertaining and there are some good sequences of violence too unlike number 3. I was really entertained by this one because I watched it at like 3 in the morning and I watched it all. Overall I give it an 8 out of 10 because it was the best since the original and it is a great thriller. I would recommend it to all fans of the Species movies and of course to all the sci-fi fans out there like me.
Quite honestly the best of the "Species"-seuqels.
posted on 05 Nov 2008This fourth entry is surprisingly the best out of the series when it comes down to the sequels. Yet the movie is probably best to watch when you don't know any of the previous Species movies, fore in that way the mystery and originality of the movie will work out the best. It's also really not essential to watch any of the previous Species movies before watching this one, fore this movie and its story have basically very little to do with any of the previous entries, that were about aliens trying to breed and being hunt down by the military. This movie takes a totally different direction and approach. As a sequel and especially as a third sequel to the 1995 movie, this movie is surprisingly refreshing in its ideas and executions.No, of course it's no brilliant movie but I'm still raving about it since it's so surprisingly much better than any of its sequels and original as well. Of course not a lot of people are willing to give this movie a chance but I'll urge more people to see this, since it's simply a fine genre movie that is worth watching.It isn't the best or most exciting movie but it's a professionally made one, which makes this a maintaining movie to watch. It doesn't suffer from some of the problems of the other sequels, that had some bad actors in it, among other things. This movie has some good characters and even better actors portraying them. Ben Cross is a good actor and a nice leading man for this movie. Hard to believe he already was 60 years old at the time of this movie!Still I would wish the movie was a bit more exciting. It's a bit lacking in action and definitely lacking in gore. All of the other Species movies were filled with gore and nudity, while this movie features basically little to none of any. It's a quite tame movie, with the expectations of some sequences, that are used to set up a specific mood and tone. The movie is a bit of a bore in parts and often drags on for too long with its story, which is the fault of its writing that offers the movie too little.Some things don't make a lot of sense within this movie and story and some things just don't really add up. However because it's such a fine put together, with a good visual look over it and some nice actors involved, this movie works out as a perfectly watchable one.6/10
too much tongue
posted on 12 Oct 2008This movie is great, but the tongue tentacle is used too much in this movie.Sure it was cool in the first movie when Sil kissed that guy and put her tongue through his head. But everyone is killed with a tongue except for one person in this movie. It was cool in a few scenes to see the tongue: like in the hospital a girl got the tongue through the eye, or when the nun did a little lick with a forked tongue or at the ending fight scene when one of the half breeds shot spears out her mouth. Other then that, the writer should have been more animated with the killings.This movie did have bad acting, plot and CGI. But that is what I come to expect from low budget sci-fi films that go straight to video. The action on the other hand was unexpected. Great action.The first Species was a the best. the second was terrible. the third was better that the second but not nearly as good as the first. This one would be better that the third if had more animated killings.So over all it is a good movie but a disappointment to fans.
Another great addition to the SPECIES series!
posted on 12 Oct 2008Fourth in the SPECIES series, which has now become a direct to DVD franchise, has an uncle fleeing with his niece to another town following a mysterious blackout she has suffered which when she comes to, she finds herself naked, weak & with piles of corpses in her midst. She later finds out from her uncle that she's only half human, part of an experiment started by a scientist & like in all movies like this, particularly of this series, more evil aliens pop up to mate & destroy any male or female that crosses their paths & soon Miranda has instincts to join them. Fourth installment in the SPECIES franchise has all the ingredients that made the first three the successes they were, awesome alien make-up, a sprinkling of nudity & sex, beautiful babes, lots of gore, suspense, great acting & directing! & although the film really has no connections to the first three (NATASHA HENSTRIDGE is nowhere to be seen, or any of the characters from the first three) it's surprisingly well written & somewhat intelligent in terms of it's plot (Much more intelligent than II & III) which is something one can't really say about films dealing with lust filled aliens. The only down fall I can see in the movie, is the flashing lights that constantly flicker during the fight scenes & may wind up hurting your eyes, it's also plain annoying & ruins a somewhat good alien fight scene. All in all this film is worth a look for all SPECIES fans, just don't expect one of the greatest alien movies ever made or expect it to top the original & you should have fun.***1/2 stars
Not that bad, but not good
posted on 16 Sep 2008This movie is not as terrible as the third one, but not as good as the second, not to mention the first. Where did the other monsters come from? What are they? Hybrids? Aliens? Where were they until now? Why are they killing people? Is it a sport? Hobby? We didn't knew it from the third part and we still don't know from this one. The third part was disgusting and stupid. This is simply stupid. Including a lot of blood, some monster and disgusting scenes doesn't make a sci-fi. It makes horror of the worst kind, that is not real horror, just a crap with some horrifying scenes. In this film Tom (Ben Cross) loves Miranda (Helena Mattsson) as his daughter. What will be in the next part? Will the human and the alien get married? Will they have children as well? It should be a remake of "Amanda and the Alien" with Nicole Eggert, and it could be called Species V: I married a (Human-Alien) Hybrid. Though, if I remember well, there are some movies with titles like this (I married: a monster, a werewolf, a vampire and so on). And of course they should live happily after killing their enemies. This movie wasn't that bad but I liked to know what happened to the people walking away to the woods at the end of the third part.
Again a movie hype
posted on 08 Sep 2008This movie su**ed. I did wanted to see it because i saw the other tow, but sadly i should have known that it will not be better then the second part. The plot was terrible and the happenings were so flat that i almost felt asleep. It was like they wanted to put something together but they only had $100. The acting wasn't that good and i was the one how felt ashamed of how terrible the events were. The first two parts had more too say. The first part was really the one which had it in it and think they though that people will see this one because of it. I really really hope that it will not be so. If you value your life, please don't waste it on this one. I truly have nothing else to say about it. It was just awful.
Definitely a DK collectible and decent for campy SciFi.
posted on 13 Aug 2008If you are collecting Keating this DVD is more than worth buying just to enjoy him in action and looking quite fit. He always seems to really enjoy playing villains. There is a lot more nudity than you get in most SciFi but it really is required to get the plot to work. The whole point is monstrous alien chicks on the prowl after all and not great literary work. Unfortunately it caused what is a major scene for the storyline to get cut for the U.S. TV version. For SciFi the plot is worse than most, but better than some. They missed out on using something about the 'mad scientist' messing with a bit of the alien DNA on himself. In the cut scene at one point it looks as if McGuire's eyes go alien blue. Following along that line would have made the plot a lot more interesting and twisted. A lot less Hollander mooning about would have helped a great deal. Favela makes good use of visual acting getting across the creepy aspect of the alien without having much dialog.
H.R. Giger Sil Design
posted on 01 Aug 2008They just totally ruined that amazing SIL design by H.R.Giger...I really expected that "Species" series could be at least as good as Alien series but the ruined it. After being disappointed by Species 3, I felt absolutely wreck with Species IV...I mean I am a big fan of 1st species, and the alien-creature in species IV was like a puppet rather than being realistic. SIL design and special effects were good for 1995 situations...But now for 2007 movie (I think its all about the budget I don't know) I didn't expect that...It was utterly, awful..I wish I could give "0"... If they gonna make any other 5th one and if its going to be like this one, please No..Its will be a waste of time...Remember the 1st one please...
what a waste of 90 minutes
posted on 20 Jun 2008it was a pity that IMDb didn't have the ability to rate movies as 0 because that is exactly what i would have given it. however, i have had to give it 1 out of 10, but i mean 0......plot was very poor, movie was too confusing and the poor plot didn't make me feel a connection, like or dislike anyone in the movie.seemed like random things happening with no explanation or leading up to any event in particular.acting was a bit wooden, and the accent from Dominic Keating was probably the most entertaining of any of the script.please avoid this movie, as you can never get the 90 minutes of your life back that you waste on this.
Attack of the Femmies
posted on 08 Jun 2008I got this DVD and hoped it might entertain me on an average level and that my friends would love it. I think I realized from the start this was a sex monster plot and designed to attack the wankie teen audience. It is the male aged 10-15 I think must be the top raters of this rather sad attempt at cinema.What did I like? Well, the fight between the female Medusa aliens was cool. The sex and more sex scenes very low rated. Perhaps a 50 year old man has as his fantasy being raped by an aggressive female monster, but Somehow this just left me cold.The plot was cheese and full of holes. The acting was so bad, I could have thought I deserve an Academy now.But, I being a sci-fi buff of sorts, had to keep wondering, after the lab burns, how many more of those things are out there.Having some mercy on their audience, they didn't pan to a million other morphing monsters, just ready to breed.We can rest assured they are dead, until the next grade D sci-fi- clone of Species is produced.
Really, really bad
posted on 07 Apr 2008The person's whose comments read "Alien it ain't" couldn't have been more dead on.The beginning of this movie starts with the girl, who is the alien in this film simply because of a slight resemblance to the blonde alien in the original (not because of ANY acting skills), is a college professor giving a lecture. She's as believable as a college professor as Steven Hawking would be playing a high school cheerleader. She looks like an 18 year old high school cheerleader. She delivers her "lecture" as awkwardly as it is for us to watch it. There wasn't a person in the world who bought her as a college professor including the director and herself. She gives the lecture and delivers the "punchline" so poorly, I knew at that point there would be no way I could finish this movie. It's insulting that anyone would think we're supposed to buy her as a college professor. It was one of the worst pieces of casting/writing I've seen this decade.The "acting" in the rest of the film, including Ben Cross's performance, was terrible, literally unwatchable. I've seen amateur performances on Youtube that were better. About 20 minutes into the movie I was just fast forwarding.The CGI looks like it was unfinished, like it was from 1992. There is nothing scary or tension building about anything in this movie. I wasted a Netflix rental on this garbage and was more mad at myself than anything - and mad at the rating this movie has in the IMDb (over 6 at this point - it HAS to go down). I really liked the original film. This movie should be taken off any video store shelf. It's just awful.
Quite terrible
posted on 16 Mar 2008The first Species movie was awesome, the second was a big disappointment, the third was surprisingly decent, but this is even worse than the second...somehow. Species: The Awakening left me checking how much was left of the it every five minutes or so. Though the plot was not that horrible, the movie is just not entertaining.After the first half hour, I must admit I thought this movie would actually be as good as the third. I was wrong, very wrong. As soon as the characters get to Mexico, this promising movie turns into a cheap, cheesy excuse for a horror movie. Why? There was no excitement. There is definitely not enough gore, almost all the sex scenes were unnecessary, and some stuff just didn't add up or made any sense whatsoever (the reason for Fisk's lies, the taxi-driver and the reason for Azura's actions when they arrive in Mexico - just to name a few).The reason for this getting a 3 and not a 1, is the first half hour of the movie, and the not-so-terrible acting. Apart from that, I'd suggest staying away from this movie, since it's by far the weakest Species movie so far, it makes Species II seem like a masterpiece. Even if this film wasn't a Species movie, it's still a movie to stay away from.
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Worst in the species series.
posted on 27 Jul 2009Just saw the entire Species collection over two days, and i was very disappointed over the fourth in the line.After watching the first 15 minutes i sat the player to double time, and i sure didn't regret it. This movie doesn't have anything to offer, beside nude chicks and brainless "horror". Compared to the three other species movies, this is fare worst. If you have seen the movie "From Dusk Till Dawn" you sure don't need to see this one.Lets all hope the line will end here.blah. blah.blah.