`Species 2': Born-Again Grossness

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X "Species 2," with Natasha Henstridge, Michael Madsen, James Cromwell. Directed by Peter Medak from a script by Chris Brancato. Alderwood, Auburn Cinema 17, Crossroads, East Valley 13, Everett 9, Factoria, Gateway, Issaquah 9, Kent 6, Lewis & Clark, Meridian 16, Mountlake 9, Oak Tree, Puget Park drive-in, Puyallup 6, Redmond Town Center, Totem Lake. "R" - Restricted for nudity, violence, language and gore.

The "Alien" series has been cited as a subconscious attempt to grapple with sexual diseases and death; the first three films have been described as a metaphor for AIDS. Well, the "Species" series also dwells on the themes of sex and death, but it's more like a metaphor for crabs.

Somehow, the first "Species" film scared up an impressive cast (Ben Kingsley, Forest Whitaker) and an interesting theme, but it quickly degenerated into a titillation vehicle with an absolutely atrocious ending. "Species 2" wisely casts off all pretense of having a theme, ending - or much of a cast, for that matter. It also doesn't so much degenerate as consistently rot, regenerate and rot again, much like the alien species of the title. Most of the time the film walks the thin, nearly diaphanous line of being ridiculous or just being offensive, favoring the latter.

Natasha Henstridge is back as the resident female alien under glass, but this time her name is Eve, not Sil, as she was called in the first one. Eve's been re-created and she's first seen naked in a chair, strapped in with Volvo seat belts as Dr. Laura Baker (Marg Helgenberger) performs experiments on her alien DNA. Little do the scientists know that a team of astronauts returning from a Mars landing have picked up the same alien DNA strain and are infected.

The mission's leader is the clean-cut Patrick Ross (Justin Lazard), and once on Earth he takes on the same prime function that Sil had tried to achieve, to copulate and populate. Ross, being a world famous astronaut, a former Yale football star (whatever THAT means), and a senator's son, has no problem racking up conquests. Unfortunately, as the species gene is a virulent one, the women are pregnant before they can smoke a cigarette and are quickly, and fatally, breeding the little species spawn.

The trail of naked, exploded women does seem to attract the attention of the government. They send out top agent Press Lenox (Michael Madsen, also from the first film) to find the alien on the loose and he enlists the one remaining astronaut not exhibiting signs of infection, Dennis Gamble (Mykelti Williamson), to help him. Meanwhile, Eve discovers that her dreamboat Patrick is looking for her. Since he's a world famous astronaut, Yale quarterback, senator's son and host for an evil alien species, Eve thinks he's quite a catch. Patrick's from Mars, Eve's from a petri dish and they're made for each other. True alien love knows no bounds.

Neither, obviously, do the makers of this gunk. The birth scenes are gross and verge on the demented. There's got to be a great psychology course designed around what kind of person goes in for this stuff. Besides the constant stream of gore and naked breasts, there's a deep ribbon of misogyny running through "Species 2." It makes you itch all over.