Hayden Kane
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Python Hyena
Species 2 (1998): Dir: Peter Medak / Cast: Natasha Henstridge, Michael Madsen, Marg Helgenberger, James Cromwell, Mykelti Williamson: Stupid sequel to a stupid film. Premise regards a mission to mars in which the Senator's son is inflicted with an alien virus. At one point he is witnessed blowing his head off with a shotgun only to reform it. He leaves a trail of bloody pregnancies everywhere he goes. Natasha Henstridge returns as a recreated alien only this time she's with us. It all winds down to a battle between two creatures that is in itself impressive, but we have to endure a lot of crap to get there. Well directed by Peter Medak with fine production. Henstridge handles the action well but this time she is basically switching sides and changing her name. Michael Madsen and Marg Helgenberger reprise their roles but they are virtually flat. James Cromwell is wasted as the Senator. It is sad to see him go from Babe and L.A. Confidential to this. The same can also be said of Mykelti Williamson after playing shrimp loving Bubba in Forrest Gump. Unnecessary sequel that does nothing more than attempt to repeat the success of the original as well as present gooey special effects. The first film was little more than the umpteenth ripoff of Alien so do not expect a genius plot from this garbage. If you thought the first one was bad then be forewarned of this. Score: 2 / 10
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews
The first manned trip to Mars takes the alien that we met in '95 back to Earth. They don't realize this right away. Or maybe they do, and simply cannot openly say that what we before were naive enough to combine with our own DNA(yeah, nice thinking) is now apparently a glob of smart goo. That moves. Jumps. And it can "take over" what it comes into contact with, of organic life(and it won't merely lead to a tongue extension, either). I know I'm having trouble typing it. This time, the infected is a man, so we get numerous women that undress in front of, and copulate with, him. Species is kind of a cheap, low-profile, gore-fest kind of horror, that benefited from a fairly impressive cast. This is the direct sequel(where things get bigger, and yet are as, or less, effective), where three cast members return, two of whom in the exact same roles(Madsen and Helgenberger) and the last playing something new based on what she was in the predecessor(Henstridge). Well, actually, that last thing isn't entirely true... her part is basically a cheap and easy way of bringing her back, as it was hard to do so after what happened at the end of the original(which you'll know if you've seen it). The script is basically the writer coming up with a simple, easily explainable way of making a follow-up, and taking it to a slightly higher level, sacrificing common sense in the process. This has a pretty stupid plot, and a good bit of it doesn't make sense. Worse even, some of it leaves you confused, which is almost offensive to even the dumbest of viewers, as the premise of this is about as simple as they come. This has decent pacing; the first time you see it, provided that you're prepared for how bad it is, it may keep your interest for most of the film. The acting ranges... the majority of it is B-movie level and below. I'm not kidding, some of the dummies and animated creatures(the designs are reasonable) in this thing deliver the better performances. The characters aren't particularly interesting or credible. A few of them are clichés and stereotypes, like Dennis Gamble's, who's basically the typical black stereotype... speaking 'ghetto', hunting booty and generally just not really adding anything at all to this. The special effects are somewhat impressive, at least for the time. They hold up pretty well over time, too, including the CGI. That, coupled with an early feeling of optimism that this will eventually improve(which it doesn't, trust me) makes the flick bearable to watch, but it doesn't really have anything worthwhile to offer. I recommend this to those who know what to expect(many hot chicks, nudity, sex and bloody, often grotesque, violence) and, well, want it. 3/10
LinkGoku
i saw this DVD having never seen SPECIES II before thinking "i wonder if its as good as the first was?" and all i have to say in response to watching it is "how does it only have 3.8/10?" I didn't have much expectations for it as a sequel but i was pleasantly surprised.Michael Madsen and Marg Helgenberger return acting just as great as they were in the first film, as did Natasha Henstridge, Justin Lazard was a fantastic choice for his role, Mykelti Williamson, wasn't exactly award winning but he could have been a lot worse, and the same goes for James Cromwell.the special effects were astonishing just as in the first one.i thoroughly enjoyed this movie so i give it 8/10.but my question for all haters of this movie and the first is "how else should it have been done? with Species rats?"
