Species is a great sleazy creature feature. But a big reason it’s successful is that Michelle Williams gives such a phenomenal, grounded performance in the opening 10 minutes.

Natasha Henstridge is a sexy alien Terminator, but there’s always an element of sympathy because Williams gets to be so vulnerable. Really sells that Sil is literally being forced to harm people by her instincts/programming.

That Michelle WIlliams, she's going places

The empathy you feel for her then makes you forgive her actions later up to a point until you realize once again she is too dangerous to live.

Wow I forgot that was Williams.

I get why Cronenberg wouldnt have directed it, but Id have given him full control and we’d have the sci-fi horror film of the decade.

That’s Michelle Williams !!!

I knew there was a reason she did Venom

As a teenager I went to the premiere. They needed seat fillers and were pulling people off the street. The audience laughed (mockingly) at a lot of it. Then the filmmakers got the last laugh when it was a surprise hit.

It did the whole "horny young mind in an adult body" thing decades before Poor Things came out.