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| Species: The Awakening | |
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 DVD cover for the film |
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| Directed by | Nick Lyon |
| Produced by | Frank Mancuso Jr. |
| Written by | Ben Ripley |
| Starring | Ben Cross Dominic Keating Helena Mattsson |
| Distributed by | MGM |
| Release date(s) | October 2, 2007 |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Preceded by | Species III |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Species: The Awakening is a 2007 direct-to-video science fiction film that is the latest in the series of films that began with Species in 1995. It was directed by Nick Lyon and stars Ben Cross, Dominic Keating, and Helena Mattsson.
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Production
It was announced on 6 September 2006 by MGM that another sequel to Species was in production. An MGM/360 Production, filming commenced in October 2006. Frank Mancuso Jr. has served as Producer on the first two "Species" movies, and as Executive Producer on Species III and this direct-to-DVD sequel. The film went by various working titles: Species IV and Species Quattro. IMDb confirms that the title of the film is now Species: The Awakening (Source). The movie premiered on SciFi Channel on September 29 at 8 o'clock, Central Time. The film has been leaked to P2P networks as a workprint, with copyright writing blurred along the bottom of the frame, before the official release.
According to sources, the character of Miranda was created from an embryo mentioned in the first film. Ben Kingsley's character, Xavier Fitch, said that scientists made three embryos, used the first one to create Sil (played by Natasha Henstridge) from the first movie, and decided to put the other two embryos in liquid nitrogen in the alien DNA experiment. The second embryo was used in Species II to make the half-human Eve (also played by Natasha Henstridge), who looked identical to Sil. The third embryo was used to make Miranda in this film, played by Helena Mattsson. Though Miranda is supposed to be a clone of Sil and Eve, she is not played by Natasha Henstridge, the actress who played Sil and Eve. Instead, they used an actress who looks similar to Natasha, Helena Mattson, to play Miranda, Sil and Eve's clone.
Plot
The fourth installment of the Species franchise continues in Mexico, where new experiments with DNA bring horrific results.
When brilliant college professor Miranda Hollander suffers a mysterious blackout, and awakens amid the bloody aftermath of a mass slaughter, she turns to her uncle for answers. But when he reveals the shocking truth... she's only half human, a clone from a hybrid (Sil and Eve) of human and alien DNA. They must flee to Mexico to locate the scientist who created her. Soon they find themselves locked in battle with a horde of rampaging, unstoppable hybrids... and time is running out before Miranda will inevitably surrender to the killer instinct that lurks inside her own body.
Cast
At a Star Trek convention in Sacramento, California on September 9, 2006, actor Dominic Keating of Star Trek: Enterprise announced that he had been cast as an Australian scientist in this sequel.
On October 3, 2006 it was revealed that Mexican actress Marlene Favela, well known for her successful telenovelas Gata Salvaje and Contra viento y marea has been cast as one of the main villains of the movie. Her character is named Azura. According to Favela, "...it's a sci-fi movie where women all become aliens and kill people".
Sunny Mabrey, who played the main character Sara in Species III, did not return due to other movie projects.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Helena Mattsson | Miranda |
| Ben Cross | Tom Hollander |
| Marco Bacuzzi | Rinaldo |
| Dominic Keating | Forbes |
| Adam Wylie | Jared |
| Marlene Favela | Azura |
| Meagen Fay | Celeste |
| Roger Cudney | Leland Fisk |
| Mauricio Martinez | Dalton |
| Felipe de Lara | Burke |
| Julian Sedgwick | Logan Wilson - ER Resident |
Title
The title went through many changes in publicity from "Species IV" to "Species: Quattro" and finally settling on "Species: The Awakening" from the producers. The working title "Species IV" appeared on movie sites when the film was in pre-production. "Species: Quattro" appeared on an online trailer for the film and now Nick Lyon, the director of the picture, named the film as "Species: The Awakening" on his official site and then appeared on sites thereafter. Even though the online trailer can be viewed on his site, it is called "Species: Quattro" at the end of the presentation. Unlike the third film, the original movie logo is used for the main title.
Trivia
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (September 2007) |
- Even though it was hinted at the very last shot of Species III and on its commentary, director Brad Turner, who helmed the third film, said that the "1902" reference on the old steel bridge might be referenced in a later sequel. It was confirmed that Ben Ripley would write this film at the time, but no reference to "1902" is made in this film.
- A new ingredient for this fourth film is that the protagonist doesn't know she is half alien. Miranda's re-birth halfway though the film proved different as past versions have begun with the characters as a child before making their chrysalis in the first and third films. The story begins with Miranda as a young woman, not a little girl like Sil in the first film and Sara in the third film.
- The producers wanted to go back to Giger's designs of the alien creature due to popularity with fans and the absence of this decision in the last instalment. The original look is apparent but with different colour variations and new spikes on the aliens' wrists of the nemesis. It is also a first in the series that a half human-half alien character does not change fully into the alien creature but has prosthetic eyebrows, veins and contacts for a long period of time in more than one scene.
- Another reference to the popular scene in the 1995 original appears with the "Tongue" reference. Miranda kills a hotel receptionist in the same way, but is seen in the victim's point of view instead with Miranda's alien form reflected in his eyes.
- It is the first in the series that the film does not have a cliffhanger or left open for a future sequel.
- It is the first film of the Species franchise that does not feature Natasha Henstridge, who played Sil in the first film as well as Eve in the two previous movies. She last appeared in a small cameo role in Species III as she was contracted to star in a trilogy back in 1995 when she signed for the part.
External links
- Species: The Awakening at the Internet Movie Database
- The first review from Polish science fiction magazine written by Arkadiusz Grzegorzak
- MGM is Planning Five Sequels
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