'Pythons 2' is one of the few made-for-TV movies that manages to surprise the viewer with so many twists and turns that it becomes a very enjoyable movie.
**SPOILERS**
An American-Russian mission in Russia recovers an 80-foot python and plans to bring it on an airplane to a military base, but Russian rebels force it down. They take the container, unknowingly holding the snake, to another Russian base where the snake escapes. An independent shipper, Greg Larson, (Billy Zabka) hires Dwight Stoddard (Dana Ashbrook) and his wife Nalia (Simmone Jade MacKinnon) to bring the container to Munich, where Greg can ship it to America. They arrive at the base, and discover that Larson doesn't want to sneak it across the border. Starting to distrust Greg, Dwight and Nalia anxiously wait while Greg and several other members of a small strike force break into the deserted base. One of them, McEwen (Vince Diamond) finds the snake, but dies, bringing the attention of Dwight and Nalia to the military complex. Realizing they can't capture the snake, Larson is ordered to get the DNA and tells Dwight and Nalia to leave. They decide to stay and the snake strikes. Checking the blueprints to find a way out, and Larson goes to check it. The only way to get out is the ventilation ducts, and they have to battle past snakes to make it outside for the C-4 needed to escape.
The Good News: 'Pythons 2' is more entertaining than one might expect for a made-for-TV movie. It has unusually high production values, allowing for expansive cinematography and bigger sets than its predecessor. The acting is more believable, as the cast gives a more relaxed feeling in certain scenes. That also allows for more than one snake in the movie, though not in the same scene. The only time it comes even close is the final ten minutes, but at least they tried to do something different in the story. The original was simply a re-telling of 'Anaconda' told in a suburban setting. Here, the story changes to a military base in Russia. The Russian countryside is captured beautifully, making its cold mountains and dry landscape eerily inviting. The bigger budget also allows for a better pyrotechnic show, as explosions are going off in, mostly realistic, action scenes. The big selling point is that the movie tries and successfully incorporating suspense into the story. The opening scene in the Ural Mountains cave is particularly good, as the filmmakers try an almost unused source for suspense: the unseen wails of an enemy off in the distance. I had hoped other monster movies would use this trick to better effect in other movies, but 'Pythons 2' is the only one I've seen that has effectively done this.
The Bad News: The nay-sayers to this movie may scream that the plot is unoriginal and makes the film seem like a retarded 'Aliens,' but this is actually far from the truth. Here, the film deals with the soldiers trying to kill a creature that they are supposed to keep alive, which gives the film its one true downfall. We spend so much time in the buildup of the relationships of the soldiers that the middle part of the movie has no real action to it. There are almost no snake scenes, and the movie does tend to fall a bit flat in that area. Also, the mention of the first film was good, and by having Larson come back made the transition easier, but if this is supposed to be a true sequel, why did only one scene have the snake spit that acidic venom at his opponents? It's a good scene, and puts a little bit more gore into the story, but other than that one scene, the snake never uses it again. It should've been injected more into the movie more.
The Final Verdict: While not terribly bad, 'Pythons 2' is still an enjoyable movie. It has a little bit of everything for a nice, well-rounded film. It misses sometimes, but it has some good moments as well. Pretty much recommended for people who enjoy 90 minutes without feeling wasted and for people who like lizard films will like this one.
Rated R: Violence, Language.
**SPOILERS**
An American-Russian mission in Russia recovers an 80-foot python and plans to bring it on an airplane to a military base, but Russian rebels force it down. They take the container, unknowingly holding the snake, to another Russian base where the snake escapes. An independent shipper, Greg Larson, (Billy Zabka) hires Dwight Stoddard (Dana Ashbrook) and his wife Nalia (Simmone Jade MacKinnon) to bring the container to Munich, where Greg can ship it to America. They arrive at the base, and discover that Larson doesn't want to sneak it across the border. Starting to distrust Greg, Dwight and Nalia anxiously wait while Greg and several other members of a small strike force break into the deserted base. One of them, McEwen (Vince Diamond) finds the snake, but dies, bringing the attention of Dwight and Nalia to the military complex. Realizing they can't capture the snake, Larson is ordered to get the DNA and tells Dwight and Nalia to leave. They decide to stay and the snake strikes. Checking the blueprints to find a way out, and Larson goes to check it. The only way to get out is the ventilation ducts, and they have to battle past snakes to make it outside for the C-4 needed to escape.
The Good News: 'Pythons 2' is more entertaining than one might expect for a made-for-TV movie. It has unusually high production values, allowing for expansive cinematography and bigger sets than its predecessor. The acting is more believable, as the cast gives a more relaxed feeling in certain scenes. That also allows for more than one snake in the movie, though not in the same scene. The only time it comes even close is the final ten minutes, but at least they tried to do something different in the story. The original was simply a re-telling of 'Anaconda' told in a suburban setting. Here, the story changes to a military base in Russia. The Russian countryside is captured beautifully, making its cold mountains and dry landscape eerily inviting. The bigger budget also allows for a better pyrotechnic show, as explosions are going off in, mostly realistic, action scenes. The big selling point is that the movie tries and successfully incorporating suspense into the story. The opening scene in the Ural Mountains cave is particularly good, as the filmmakers try an almost unused source for suspense: the unseen wails of an enemy off in the distance. I had hoped other monster movies would use this trick to better effect in other movies, but 'Pythons 2' is the only one I've seen that has effectively done this.
The Bad News: The nay-sayers to this movie may scream that the plot is unoriginal and makes the film seem like a retarded 'Aliens,' but this is actually far from the truth. Here, the film deals with the soldiers trying to kill a creature that they are supposed to keep alive, which gives the film its one true downfall. We spend so much time in the buildup of the relationships of the soldiers that the middle part of the movie has no real action to it. There are almost no snake scenes, and the movie does tend to fall a bit flat in that area. Also, the mention of the first film was good, and by having Larson come back made the transition easier, but if this is supposed to be a true sequel, why did only one scene have the snake spit that acidic venom at his opponents? It's a good scene, and puts a little bit more gore into the story, but other than that one scene, the snake never uses it again. It should've been injected more into the movie more.
The Final Verdict: While not terribly bad, 'Pythons 2' is still an enjoyable movie. It has a little bit of everything for a nice, well-rounded film. It misses sometimes, but it has some good moments as well. Pretty much recommended for people who enjoy 90 minutes without feeling wasted and for people who like lizard films will like this one.
Rated R: Violence, Language.