An astronaut gets infected with alien DNA during the first mission on Mars and runs amok on earth. Preston and Laura team up with a peaceful, genetically re-engineered Sil to track the monst... Read allAn astronaut gets infected with alien DNA during the first mission on Mars and runs amok on earth. Preston and Laura team up with a peaceful, genetically re-engineered Sil to track the monster down.An astronaut gets infected with alien DNA during the first mission on Mars and runs amok on earth. Preston and Laura team up with a peaceful, genetically re-engineered Sil to track the monster down.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Awards
- 2 nominations total
Gwendolyn Briley-Strand
- Biologist
- (as Gwen Briley-Strand)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
This movie sucks! The original was much better and even it wasn't that good. The only thing this has going for it is the scenes with sex and nudity. Gore fans might like this movie but if your looking for an amazing science fiction/horror experience than watch the ALIEN films.
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.
If you liked the first species film you will like this, it's not as good but it's more or less the same just a bit cheaper. The sci-fi story is cool and I like the series and will watch the third one to see if it's any good.
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.
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.
Did you know
- TriviaMichael Madsen and Natasha Henstridge have disowned the film, claiming to hate it. In regards to H.R. Giger, he actually requested to have a reduction of credit in his involvement, not having been impressed with the film either.
- Goofs(at around 2 mins) The crew holds real-time video and radio conversations with Earth while in orbit around Mars. This would be impossible without technological advances. Despite travelling at the speed of light, radio waves would need anywhere from several minutes to almost an hour depending on where they are in their orbits with respect to each other to travel from Mars to Earth and vice versa.
- Quotes
Dr. Laura Baker: The alien DNA infected us, it's about time we infected them.
- Alternate versionsDVD release includes some deleted scenes. Three of them are just longer, alternate takes of scenes in the film: Patrick's sex encounter with the debutante and her sister; a longer dance scene in the strip club; a longer version of Patrick's attempt to slid his 'tongue' into Dr. Laura Baker's mouth. The fourth scene shows Patrick going into the apartment of a girl he picked up at a club: when he discovers that the girl is actually a transsexual, he kills her.
- ConnectionsEdited into Species II: Additional Unseen Footage (1998)
- SoundtracksEasy Chase
Written by Waylon Jennings
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Species II
- Filming locations
- University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA(The lab scenes were filmed at the UMCP Chemical Engineering Bio-Process Facility)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $25,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $19,221,939
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $7,274,008
- Apr 12, 1998
- Gross worldwide
- $19,221,939
- Runtime1 hour 33 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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