Species II (Especie mortal II)

This was not a great movie. I mean for example, Even NASA (Never A Straight Answer) wouldn't make a six month one way voyage to Mars to spend less than two hours on the planet surface. The premise is hard to buy, but hey, it is science FICTION. The effects are not bad, and the acting is fair. There is a lot of gratuitous sex. Michael Marsden may be the bright spot in this average sci-fi flick. I wouldn't pay to see this in the theatre, but on video.... There are probably worse ways to spend an hour and forty-two minutes.

A team of astronauts, returning from a trip to Mars, are attacked by an organism that oozes out of a soil sample taken from the red planet's surface; after blacking out for seven minutes, they awaken, unable to recall what has happened to them.

Once back on Earth, the astronauts are subjected to several tests; whilst checking the blood sample from Captain Ross (Justin Lazard), the team leader, a scientist is mysteriously killed. When the dead man's body is examined, DNA is found which is similar to that of Eve, a human/alien hybrid (Natasha Henstridge) that has been created in a top-secret laboratory (from the same batch of embryos that resulted in Sil from the original Species movie).

It seems that one (or more) of the crew of the recent Mars mission is host to an alien, and unless they are captured, they will endeavour to procreate ASAP with as many partners as possible.

Species II has a very silly story, with some particularly daft plot turns (Eve learns to drive from watching The Dukes of Hazzard!), but with lashings of quality gore (including several gruesome alien births and a shotgun blast to the head), better alien effects than the first film, and even more nudity, this sequel is still very enjoyable and worth watching if you liked the original.

Michael Madsen returns as tough-guy Press, along with Marg Helgenberger as science bod Laura Baker, and also turning up for the fun is the ever reliable James Cromwell as the senator father of space hero Captain Ross.

If you're in the mood for some undemanding mindless sci-fi horror, then check out Species II—it's not as bad as a lot of people seem to think!

A lot of people must have needed to make house payments, their names listed at the beginning of this film as a testament. Put another way, one could do a Jeff Foxworthyesque comedy bit called "Your career might be in trouble if..." and the answer is "You worked on Species II." I have never felt so embarrassed for a group of actors as I had watching these thespians run through painfully stupid dialogue. The script is so inept you have to wonder if it wasn't written by a committee - of middle schoolers. Except for the sex and violence. Or, more succinctly the sexual violence. The filmmakers have some definite problems with women. Unlike the first film, which this outing makes to look like "2001" by comparison, here we only see women being ripped bloodily apart, usually during sex. There are bad movies that are fun to watch and laugh at. This turd is not one of them.

After the original 'Species' gained word of mouth - Henstridge's nudity - and ranked in the cash, it was a given that MGM would do a sequel. Three years later here was '2' except this time no attempt to treat the material semi seriously. Reading reviews you'll see two camps. Those who still enjoy it's trashy elements and those who rightfully see it as a big step down.

Astronauts touch down on Mars and take soil samples that contain the alien DNA. Back on Earth, hunky head Patrick Ross (Justin Lazard) goes about making hybrids. Sil has been recreated in a more docile clone in Eve (Natasha Henstridge) with a physic bond to the male alien who gets excited when it senses him having sex. Things once again get out of control and in returns Baker (Marg Helgenberger), Lennox (Michael Madsen) and sole uninfected astronaut Gamble (Mykelti Williamson) to stop an outbreak.

Established actors James Cromwell, George Dzundza & Peter Boyle turn up in one note, cliche roles. Henstridge doesn't really become a big part of the movie until the last third. Helgenberger but especially Madsen are slumming it for a paycheck. The man himself said doing this was a mistake. Williamson's character was written to be a replacement for a non returning Forest Whitaker. It ramps up the nudity and violence and goes bigger with the HR Giger effects, but that doesn't make it better.

'Species 2' failed with audiences. Maybe it was released at the wrong time or people saw thru it and weren't stupid. From a technical point of view is certainly well made and the gratuitous elements stop it from ever being boring, but the story & characters are asleep at the wheel. They tried to not be a tired retread, but that's exactly what it is.

Yup, it's a crapper. Species I was adequate, but this sequel is not. Bad acting, strained and disjointed, and not much for effects, except for the final several minutes where he and she mutate and do their thing. I'll put up with quite a bit in the interest of sci-fi, but this blows. I'm trying to think of something equally as bad, perhaps those Cyborg movies.