Product Details

• Actors: Michael Madsen, Natasha Henstridge, Marg Helgenberger, Mykelti Williamson, George Dzundza
• Directors: Peter Medak
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• VHS Release Date: August 3, 1999
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0792839501
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,991 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

"They could f**k the human race out of existence!" warns Michael Madsen in this inevitable--and inevitably contrived--sequel to 1995's surprise sci-fi hit. He's referring to a celebrated astronaut (Justin Lazard) infected with alien DNA from his history-making Mars landing, and the half-alien Eve (Natasha Henstridge), who was created from alien-human embryo splicing by biochemist Dr. Laura Baker (Marg Helgenberger) in an effort to discover the alien species's vulnerabilities on Earth. While the astronaut sows his gruesomely wild oats with doomed women (resulting in a bevy of creepy kids in alien cocoons), Eve goes into heat until she and the astronaut can consummate their procreative lust. Sex and death are served up like money-shots in a porno flick, with an emphasis on gory flesh-regeneration, explosive pregnancies, and slimy-tentacled intercourse. All of which makes this is the kind of derivative schlock that only a true fan could love, but it's boosted to a tolerable level of entertainment by the returning cast (Madsen, Henstridge, and Helgenberger) from the previous film. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic B-Movie Territory, May 17, 2008

By 

Kenneth Sohl "[e-mail]" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Species 2 (DVD)

A handsome astronaut returns to earth from a mission to mars, only now he has been infected by an alien organism with an urge to procreate and the astronaut's hero status makes it easy for him to find willing females who have no idea what they're in for. Meanwhile, a female alien (produced from genetic material of the 1st film's creature) has been created in a secret government lab and she, feeling the male alien's presence, is feeling the urge to mate.

The original "Species" was a fun little flick with a relatively unknown but talented cast of actors who played off of each others' characters remarkably well. This, I feel, made that movie a minor hit, and deservedly so. Unfortunately, the movie also suffered from a weak ending that was no doubt written to pave the way for sequels. Such a thoughtful build-up demanded something other than the typical B-movie climax that it got.

This film, on the other hand, makes absolutely no attempt to hide its B-movie pedigree but revels in it instead. I think this may have thrown off many viewers who were expecting something more akin to the first film. I've noticed that many viewers react with hostility when caught off-guard by a movie that embarasses them, and this one will definitely make you want to take a shower when you're done with it. Unabashedly lurid and sleazy, it will appeal to horror fans mostly, while the more mainstream types who like their films a little more sanitized and less "down-and-dirty" will be turned off. The first one was a movie you and your date could both enjoy while this movie is the one you surreptitiously take up to the video store counter when you're certain nobody in line will recognize you. Being a B-movie lover, I was pleasantly surprised with the 50's style sci-fi story line as well as the copious amounts of gratuitous nudity and grisly violence mixed together in a rather disturbingly callous fashion. The capable cast played it straight-faced, which was a rather nice touch and it had a much stronger climax than the original (no pun intended).

No, it isn't "Citizen Kane", but I think many of these less-than-impessed reviewers here would have a totally different opinion of "Gladiator". Let me say this: I loved "Gladiator", but remember that despite its big budget and awesome cast, it was just a typical, historically inept sword-and-sandal flick, literally; The producers comprised that film from their favorite scenes from several old italian gladiator flicks, the gladiator routines didn't even make an attempt at authenticity, the history was cock-eyed and even the latin seen in it was atrocious. Not that I'm slamming it, just pointing out that there is far less difference between what the plebs consider "high-brow" and "low-life" than their pretensions would indicate. And speaking of these movies not being "Citizen Kane", neither was the first "Species", despite what some cultists might have you believe.

Bottom line, just pull the broomstick out of your [...] and you may manage to enjoy this one for what it is: a grindhouse monster movie, and nothing more.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars One of the worst movies of all time, August 24, 2005

By 

Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Species 2 (DVD)

You'd better believe it: "Species II" has gotta be one of the worst movies of all time. It's so bad that it's not even worth watching it just for its badness' sake. I got to watch it only because a friend gave his copy to me for free (along with some other bad movies). I found myself disgusted and frustrated by the absolutely stupid plot and egregious acting. There isn't even enough nudity or gore to make it remotely watchable. Seriously, do NOT waste your time or money on this movie. Even if you want to see a bad movie, skip this one. It's not only bad, it's stupid and pointless. And Madsen puts up some incredibly bad performance here; you'll just feel like strangling his character or wishing him to die.

24 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't even qualify for 'it;s so bad it's good' status, March 28, 2002

By 

Matthew Horner (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Species 2 (DVD)

I am reviewing "Species II" as a public service. The movie it's based on has become somewhat of a cult classic. A number of people consider it to be one of the top horror / sci-fi flicks. I may or may not agree with that assessment. I only know that this sequel is so bad that it could be used in film school as an example of what not to do.

It is hard to believe that human beings wrote the script. It must have been generated by a computer program called Select-A-Script. Key in the genre, the running time and the budget, then hit Enter.

"Species II" opens with a small space craft, which looks like a Walkman CD player, leaving a mother ship that seems to be modeled after a can opener. Destination: Mars. Our star Michael Madsen, who was in the original, is a jock / astronaut / Princeton graduate. On the planet's surface, he retrieves a soil sample. He returns to the main craft and everybody goes home. That's right. We spend billions of dollars for a cupful of dirt. A robotic unit could have been sent to do this, but I digress.

Now we are on the space ship. Oh, no! Something horrible happens. What? The whole crew has temporary amnesia afterwards? The movie gets less original after this scene.

Back on Earth, Madsen gets very weird. He must be infected with Alien DNA! He runs around DC picking up girls, who immediately have these children who are born at age four or five. This is enough to kill the girls, who otherwise the producers would have had to pay more. Later the children are dressed in burlap bags. I've no idea who the costume designer was.

Meanwhile, in a Secret Government Testing Base, Eve [Natasha Henstridge] has been created. She is a cross between a human being and DNA from the creature in the original "Species". Marg Helgenberger plays the scientist in charge of Eve. She must constantly remind loony government people, who want to use Eve to track down the alien from Mars, that the girl is, after all, half human. This line of reasoning is like telling people not to shoot a rabid dog because it is also someone's pet.

The aliens are visually rather remarkable. Apparently the budget allowed the use of them only in the last fifteen minutes of the picture.

I surmise that "Species II" was produced by used car salesmen. Only such a breed could have conned director Peter Medak, photographer Matthew F. Leonetti and composer Ed Shearmur into signing up for this project. All three of these men have worked on some highly regarded movies, which I will not mention. None of these men are washed up, so none of them needed this job. Leonetti, for example, is the head cinemaphotographer on the new "Star Trek: Insurrection".

As to the ending of "Species II", I have a question. How did the cat get into the ambulance? The answer, I fear, is that nobody cares.

The movie implies that there will be another sequel. Please! I am down on my knees, begging you not to do it. Stick to used cars, guys.