Species II ** (1998, Natasha Henstridge, Michael Madsen, Marg Helgenberger, Mykelti Williamson, James Cromwell, Justin Lazard, George Dzundza) – Classic Movie Review 2567

The 1998 sci-fi horror film Species II brings back Michael Madsen and Marg Helgenberger, and Natasha Henstridge returns as a new character. It is misjudged and wastes an OK premise, but has plus points in its special effects and cinematography.

Director Peter Medak’s 1998 American science fiction horror thriller film Species II is the sequel to Species (1995) and brings back Michael Madsen and Marg Helgenberger to reprise their star roles from the original, while Natasha Henstridge returns as a new character.

A Species sequel is more than welcome, but Species II is totally misjudged and wastes an acceptable premise by writer Chris Brancato, based on the characters by Dennis Feldman. The movie does have its plus points, though, in the special effects, the cinematography and the splendid Natasha Henstridge.

The clone of the original alien is left waiting in the wings, while the new alien is breeding merrily away via Patrick Ross (Justin Lazard), the randy (and hunky) returned captain of the first successful manned mission to Mars. Unfortunately, Ross gets infected by an alien and begins to mutate, resulting him in needing all the sex with Eve (Natasha Henstridge). 

Returning stars Michael Madsen and Marg Helgenberger give poor, bored and distracted-seeming performances as Press Lennox and Dr Laura Baker. But that’s nothing compared with George Dzundza’s worst-of-the-year turn as the two-tone-eye military man Colonel Burgess, complete with jittery ticks and fake scar.

Horrors indeed, but not the ones they intended! Natasha Henstridge is still splendid as the shape-shifting alien, the new character Eve, though. And cinematographer Matthew F Leonetti certainly makes it look smart, and the special effects are effective.

Also in the cast are Mykelti Williamson, James Cromwell, Richard Belzer, Peter Boyle, Myriam Cyr, Sarah Wynter, Baxter Harris and Scott Morgan.

It is rated R or cert 18 for strong sexuality, sci-fi violence/ gore and language. 

Producer Frank Mancuso Jr brought in Peter Medak, who had made the 1980 horror film The Changeling.

Frank Mancuso Jr asked writer Chris Brancato to ‘approach this from a different angle, so that we don’t have a tired retread of the original, as sequels often are.’ So Brancato took inspiration from The Manchurian Candidate, where ‘somebody on a mission comes back, apparently a hero, but actually with some terrible demon inside’, and he made the first astronaut on Mars be infected by alien DNA.

Mancuso commissioned another unused script that explored the cliffhanger at end of Species where a rat was infected after eating Sil’s remains.

The film was released on 10 April 1998 in 2510 US cinemas, grossing only $19.6 million and $26,817,565 overseas. It was a box office and critical failure compared to its predecessor, which grossed $113 million, while having the same production budget of $35 million.

Did they pay a high price for not continuing the original story? Maybe they made money back on the spinoffs. McFarlane Toys released an Eve and Patrick (in their alien form) action figure as part of their inaugural series of Movie Maniacs action figures. The CD soundtrack includes a track by BB King, one by Apollo 440, and nine score pieces composed by Edward Shearmur.

In a 2004 Michael Madsen said: ‘Species II was a crock of shit.’

But Peter Medak praised the special effects and said audiences had too much expectation as this was a very different sequel through not continuing from the original story with the alien-infected rat that survived the finale, which hinted at a sequel in 1995. Medak admitted being uncomfortable with the amount of nudity but said it was for the story.

You can’t keep a good monster down: Species III followed in 2004 (though made for TV) and Species: The Awakening in 2007. Natasha Henstridge, contracted to a trilogy, briefly reprises the role of Eve in the opening scene of Species III. Species: The Awakening is a standalone film, not a direct follow-up to Species III.

Distinguished Hungarian-born film and TV director Peter Medak (born Medák Péter, 23 December 1937) is notably the director of The Ruling Class (1972), The Changeling (1980), The Krays (1990) and Let Him Have It (1991).

The cast are Natasha Henstridge as Eve, Michael Madsen as Preston ‘Press’ Lennox, Marg Helgenberger as Dr Laura Baker, James Cromwell as US Senator Judson Ross, Mykelti Williamson as Dennis Gamble, Richard Belzer as US President, Justin Lazard as Patrick Ross, Sarah Wynter as Melissa, George Dzundza as Colonel Carter Burgess Jr, Myriam Cyr as Anne Sampas, Peter Boyle as Dr. Herman Cromwell, Nancy La Scala as Debutante sister Marcy, Raquel Gardner as Debutante sister Lucy, Kim Adams as Darlene, and Nicholas Vota as Portus, Boy In Ambulance.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2567

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