![]() ![]() A studio like MGM isn't short of cash, so the explanation for the cheapness of this film is clear they knew they can get away with it and turn an easy profit. With only four key cast members and no sign of even Michael Madsen, The Awakening is the weakest of exploitation films. ![]() Kingsley's role is reinterpreted by fellow British thespian Ben Cross, while Swede Helena Mattsson (who looks a bit like Nicole Kidman) takes over where Henstridge and Sunny Mabrey left off. ![]() Had Henstridge's Sil been allowed to develop in a more normal way could her dangerous, alien side have been suppressed? Alas there is little such depth to this cheap cash-in. ![]() It posits an alternative scenario what if the scientist played by Sir Ben Kingsley in the original had not kept the young girl like a rat in cage? What if he'd raised her like his own? This could have made for an intriguing exploration of nature versus nurture. Deviating from the plot line established by the first three films, which featured Natasha Henstridge, The Awakening is a standalone feature that references and reimagines the ideas of the first film. Species 3 paid little more than lip service to the desires of the target audience and the same is true here. One would expect a low-budget sequel to revel in sleaze and gore, but since 2004, when the concept was resurrected, 6 years after the cinema release of the disastrous Species 2 (1998), for the direct-to-DVD market, there has been a surprising resistance to the gratuitous ingredients of sex and violence. One that has had its scenario rehashed three times now. Roger Donaldson's 1995 hit Species was a stylish, self-consciously trashy homage to B-movies. MGM's Species franchise, like Wishmaster and The Crow, is a perfect example of the law of diminishing returns. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |