Horror Movie Review: Xtro II: The Second Encounter (1991)

For all of Xtro’s faults, and there were many, it was at least somewhat unique. Not only that, but it also had some moments of genuine memorability. Whereas Xtro II: The Second Encounter has none. Proving to be nothing more than a cheap and ugly Alien/Aliens ripoff.

It does have some redeeming qualities but those are buried under a momentous mountain of crap, least of all a story that has absolutely nothing to do with the original. Which, depending on your feelings will be a good thing or a bad thing.

I didn’t love Xtro, but it was downright special when compared to this rubbish. Directed by Harry Bromley Davenport and featuring the work of four writers (is there any truer sign of a troubled film), Xtro II: The Second Encounter has an initial set up that is intriguing.

Set within an underground Government facility called Nexus, an experiment to send three scientists to another dimension has gone wrong. Something that has not impressed US Secretary of Defense Kenmore (Bob Wilde) who wants to shut the program down. Can you blame him though? Three scientists went to a different dimension and haven’t come back. Hardly a resounding success story.

Which is why the original architect of Nexus is brought in to help work out what went wrong. This is Dr. Ron Shepherd, played by the iconic Jan-Michael Vincent and he is a bit of a loose cannon, so his returning is not something his rival, Dr. Alex Summerfield (Paul Koslo) is happy about. No matter though, Shepherd’s ex-lover Dr. Julie Casserly (Tara Buckman) gets her way as tensions rise across the facility.

Personal feelings are put aside though when a signal from the other dimension comes through. Someone is still alive and is calling for help. The Nexus crew are able to bring the survivor back safely, but unfortunately for everyone in the facility, she hasn’t come back alone. There’s an alien on the loose, a killing machine, capable of infecting others.

Waring sides are going to have to work together to put a stop to it. Will anyone survive? Will Shepherd and Summerfield be able to stop swinging their dicks for two seconds to team up? Will any other characters matter, and will Dr. Casserly be anything but romantic fodder for a film that really didn’t need a romantic subplot?

Tune into Xtro. II: The Second Encounter to find out.

Or don’t, I really wouldn’t recommend it. Here’s the thing, I can forgive the Alien ripoff story as Xtro wasn’t the first or last to do so but what I can’t forgive is how boring it is. Somehow getting worse as it goes on, it is impossible to care about any of the characters as they all so ‘one-note’ and most of the main cast play them with this odd sense of detachment.

None of this should have mattered though as the film could have entertained when the alien is finally introduced, except far too much focus is still given to the human relationships. I don’t care about the rekindling of an old flame; I want to see alien monsters!

What makes this even more galling is that the alien itself looks decent and by keeping it in the dark, it creates tension and hides the lacking part of the effects. Not only that, the gore, while limited does look good too. It’s just a shame that it’s all that looks good as the location matches the story, bland to the point of forgettability.

These positives don’t change the fact that the film is a colossal disappointment. As I said, the first film wasn’t good, but it was interesting, at least. I’ll take that any day over this borefest.