How does the new 4K Restoration stack up? We’ve got direct comparisons of the new and old SPECIES discs.
This article contains several comparisons which contrast the older MGM Blu-ray transfer with the new Scream Factory restoration. The frames aren’t necessarily exact matches, but should give a solid indication of the visual differences.
Species has been on Blu-ray for a long time. A perennial fixture in Halloween promos and bargain bins, it has been repackaged and re-released several times over with no meaningful changes. It was one of the first catalog sci-fi titles on the Blu-ray format, and that transfer is now over ten years old.
For their new Collector’s Edition of Roger Donaldson’s sexy alien-horror hit, Scream Factory has created a brand new 4K restoration scanned from the film’s interpositive. This 2-disc edition shuttles most of the special features to a second disc, giving the film and its commentaries plenty of room to breathe.
Comparison Notes:
The old disc actually holds up quite well, and the difference between them isn’t as drastic as I’d anticipated. To my eye, the transfers seem similar in clarity. The biggest difference is probably in color temperature: the older transfer has a red (or magenta) bias that has been evened out. The new transfer is also slightly opened up; that is, you can see a bit more of the frame. There are also some differences in brightness — the shot of Natasha Henstridge’s face steeped in shadow looks especially gorgeous and noirish in this light.
The 4K scan isn’t the only new upgrade; Scream Factory’s treatment includes previous bonus features reformatted to be more HD-friendly, plus a new documentary featurette.
SPECIES Collector’s Edition Bonus Content
Disc One:
- NEW 4K scan of the film’s inter-positive
- Audio Commentary with Natasha Henstridge, Michael Madsen and director Roger Donaldson
- Audio Commentary with director Roger Donaldson, make-up effects creator Steve Johnson, visual effects supervisor Richard Edlund and producer Frank Mancuso Jr.
Disc Two:
- NEW Afterbirth: The Evolution of SPECIES featuring interviews with director Roger Donaldson, cinematographer Andzej Bartkowiak, production designer John Muto, composer Christopher Young, creature designer Steve Johnson, chrysalis supervisor Billy Bryan and “Sil” creature supervisor Norman Cabrera
- From Sil To Eve — an interview with actress Natasha Henstridge
- Engineering Life
- HR Giger At Work
- The Making Of Species: The Origin, The Concept, The Discovery
- Designing A Hybrid
- Theatrical Trailer
- Alternate Ending
- Photo Galleries (Production Design, Creature Designs, Film Stills, Behind the Scenes photos, posters and lobby cards)
A/V Out.
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Except where noted, all 16:9 screen images in this review are direct captures from the disc(s) in question with no editing applied, but may have slight compression inherent to file formats. All package photography was taken by the reviewer.