Species III (DVD - Unrated Edition)

Species III picks up exactly where Species II left off — Eve (Natasha Henstridge) is in the back of the ambulance, heavy with child (or whatever it is) and sharing the mobile room with a strange kid. (The cat who was there at the end of Species II has disappeared into thin air when it comes to the opening of Species III.) Eve dies in childbirth, making way for a new hot alien chick (Sunny Mabrey) to take center stage. Sara is Eve’s daughter and just like the aliens before her, she grows from baby-hood to babe-hood within a matter of days. Pretty soon, the buxom blonde is on the hunt for fresh man-meat and things get bloody.

While Species III is not as good as the first two films (and completely lacks the star power… if you consider Marg Helgenberger and Michael Madsen powerful stars, that is) it is watchable enough sexy horror kitsch. Mabrey takes the succubus-species mantle on with unemotional flair and she is wholly believable as the wanton woman no man can resist even if it means he’s gonna die (he’ll die happy, for sure). There’s a pretty high-tide on the gore-meter here — arms are torn off, faces melt, and eviscerations are carried out with élan.

The morphing from-human-to-alien f/x are pretty clunky, but you can’t go in to this movie expecting the likes of Industrial Light & Magic anyway. The story moves along and for one viewing, Species III is swallowed easily enough.

The DVD features commentary by director Brad Turner, writer Ben Ripley, and actor Robin Dunne. No comments from Mabrey, which certainly would have made it worth listening to. As it stands, it’s reasonably interesting trifle. “Alien Odyssey” featurettes include: Evolution; Species DNA; Alien Technology; and Alien Lifeforms. There is also a behind-the-scenes photo gallery.

Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson