Hybrid (4 Stars)

This 1997 science fiction film stars Nikki Fritz, which is why I watched it today. Maybe "stars" is too strong a word. She appears for about two minutes at the beginning of the film, and then she's killed by the monster shown in the poster.

It's not quite clear from the film itself what the story's background is. There are a few fight scenes which give some clues, but if we want to know what happened we need to watch the trailer. In the year 2069 there was an alien invasion. Eventually the aliens were driven away, but most of the human race was destroyed in the process. The survivors are few and far between.

A small group, three men and two women, is walking across open countryside looking for civilisation. They meet a lone man, a soldier, who is heading to a nearby scientific research facility. They decide to join him.

The group includes J. J. North as Nurse Carla Ferguson and Brinke Stevens as Dr. Leslie Morgan. Why do women in the future wear their bras on the outside? Or is it just doctors?

The scientific facility is deserted. Nikki Fritz, pictured here, was the last person to be killed in the opening scenes. Her external bra looks like it's been deflated.

The scientific facility was being used to create genetically modified super-soldiers for the war against the aliens. The aliens left before the project could be completed. Some genius thought up the idea of injecting the DNA of cockroaches into human beings. The result was an almost unstoppable killing machine without the intelligence to know which side he was on. He killed all the scientists, including poor Nikki, and now he's stalking the intruders who have wandered the facility.

It's a typical last-man-standing scenario. Or is it a last-woman-standing scenario?

Are the women smarter than the men? Or more aggressive? Or do they just get their priorities straight? While the men are searching the scientific facility for the monster, the two women jump into a shower to enjoy each other's company. They feel much better afterwards.

The film is directed by Fred Olen Ray, shown here with his beautiful wife Kimberley. Does he make films to create works of art or to pay his bills? He's said more than once that his top priority is to feed his family, but if he can make art in the process, all the better. Some, though not all of his films, are masterpieces which will be remembered for centuries to come.