Species II

Starring: Natasha Henstridge, Michael Madsen, Marg Helgenberger, Mykelti Williamson, Justin Lazard, James Cromwell, Peter Boyle
Directed by: Peter Medak
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Horror, Science Fiction
1998

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The first astronaut (Justin Lazard) to set foot on Mars brings back a deadly alien virus which transforms him into a human/alien hybrid determined to procreate. This poses a problem, as human/alien hybrid, Eve (Natasha Richardson) would make a terrific partner- and their offspring would lead to the end of the human race. Now, two specialists (Michael Madsen, Marg Helgenberger) who destroyed the last human/alien hybrid, Sil, are called to stop the carnage from occurring.

Review:

Tim: The original Species movie was flawed, but it did deserve some kudos because at the very least, it was different, unique, and decently entertaining. It was a sensual horror sci-fi film. It was not, however a great movie (but it wasn't terrible, either). It should be of no surprise that this film was put into production, mostly to capitalize on the success of its predecessor. The problem here is that the original worked because it was unique and different- this movie is not. We already know the story and we know what to expect. Although some pieces are different, it still pits a few humans against an alien menace trying to find a mate, culminating in a human v. alien battle. Without the element of surprise, this movie seems downright silly. Plus, at this point, we've seen all this before.

As I watched this film, I liked that they switched the story a bit. It would have been incredibly easy to tell the same story in just a slightly different way. We could have had Natasha Henstridge break out and search for a man again. The absolute easiest path wasn't chosen, instead going with a variation on the theme. Here, we have a male alien trying to get to Henstridge (and whatever other women get in his way). In fact, Henstridge really isn't the main villain here- that role goes to Justin Lazard. While switching an antagonist to a quasi-protagonist has worked before (see Terminator 2), it doesn't work as well here. The biggest problem is twofold- first, Justin Lazard is a bit boring. This movie is missing the spark that Henstridge provided by being the film's villain. Secondly, Henstridge is pretty much neutered in this film. Her role isn't nearly as effective, memorable, or interesting as in the first film. I barely felt like this was her movie at all. Plus, I never really knew if her new character, Eve was supposed to be good or bad, or something in between. They needed to clarify her and her intentions better.

While Henstridge suffered from a lackluster character, this movie is also missing the star power of the previous film's cast. There's no Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina, or Forest Whittaker. We do get Michael Madsen and Marg Helgenberger back, which is decently good, but neither character was firmly established enough in the original to make this exciting. They weren't very well developed in that film, and they don't get much better developed here. They do provide some continuity to the film, which is a nice added bonus. We do get Mykelti Williamson and James Cromwell (how did they convince Cromwell to do this?), but they don't provide enough star power to really help this film. Their presence is welcome, but ultimately not very effective.

I had a hard time getting involved in this movie because it seemed like a completely unnecessary sequel. We have more gruesome scenes, some interesting special effects, but ultimately, this is a monster movie with a silly, run-of-the-mill conclusion. While it takes pains to differentiate itself from the first film, it ultimately remains too close. There is just very little to be excited about in this film. It takes an already difficult-to-believe plot and makes it even more outlandish. That is not good. I never figured out why I was supposed to care or be interested in this film at all.

Species II is a forgettable, silly movie that does very little right. Its bright spots are sadly quite dim, and it creates a greater feeling of disappointment than anything else. I didn't hate the first film, but I immediately grew tired of this franchise with this dud. It suffers from the typical sequel letdown.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Species, Species III, A Sound of Thunder, Maximum Risk