When a handler at the National Bee Centre (French) is overcome by a swarm of deadly South American killer bees, the institute's director (Zimbalist) and principal entomologist (Feldshuh) must locate the whereabouts of recent exports before they infiltrate hives throughout the country. Inferior sequel to "The Savage Bees" has a bee-grade cast by comparison, and a lukewarm climax in which a group of boy scouts are trapped in a school bus with Feldshuh's character, already haunted by the memories of her last encounter (as Gretchen Corbett in the first film) with the black & gold assassins that now engulf the bus as air quickly runs out. This scenario actually presents some amusing possibilities for a twisted mind – is that sexual tension between young Eisenmann and Feldshuh, or just misguided execution?
Grizzly Adams (aka Dan Haggerty) is the sensitive, jilted pilot boyfriend trying to compete with Zimbalist's affections for his former squeeze, putting aside his differences in unheralded chivalry as the trio fly from one town to the next in search of the next catastrophe. If the Feldshuh-Zimbalist-Haggerty sandwich was any more cordial, it would surely be fairy bread, and that's the substance of which this film is made. The "Terror" is indeed out of the sky, and it appears, nowhere to be seen in this film. Aside from the make-up applied to French as the first victim, there's very little inspiration in special effects or action sequences. Experienced director Katzin seems content to allow the events to unfold without cohesive plotting, meandering pointlessly to a bittersweet ending in which our celebrated threesome, sadly, become a pair.
It's a shame that a taut, suspenseful film like "The Savage Bees" serves as the patent to such a bland, lethargic re-production. There's little to recommend here, suffice to say that proceedings are unlikely to offend in any way such is the wholesome, sedentary treatment afforded to this sub-standard sequel.
