Fortress 2 (1999)

User Rating:

3.9/10   

Director:

Geoff Murphy

Writers (WGA):

Steven Feinberg (characters) &
Troy Neighbors (characters) ...

Release Date:

2 March 2000 (Australia)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Locked in a prison orbiting 26,000 miles above earth. Escape was never thought possible...until now.

Plot:

7 years on from the original Fortress movie, Brennick and his family are still on the run from the Men-tel corporation...

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Number 4 | Number 321 | Knit Hat | Dehydration

Cast

Christopher Lambert	...	John Henry Brennick
Aidan Rea	...	Danny Brennick
David Roberson	...	Nestor Tubman
Liz May Brice	...	Elena Rivera
Beth Toussaint	...	Karen Brennick
Willie Garson	...	Stanley Nussbaum
Paul de Bourcy	...	Eagle Two
Bruce MacEwen	...	Mercenary Leader (as Bruce McEwen)
Stephen Shivers	...	Mercenary
Marius Speller	...	Eagle One
Mereta Mita	...	ZED (voice)
Patrick Malahide	...	Peter Teller
Thea Slikboer	...	Sally Ho
Carl Chase	...	Wells
Yuji Okumoto	...	Sato

Also Known As:

Fortress 2: Re-Entry (Philippines: English title) (USA) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and nudity.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA | Luxembourg

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Iceland:12 | South Korea:18 | Australia:M | France:U | Germany:16 | Ireland:18 | Mexico:B | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #36458) | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Company:

Carousel Picture Company, The

Goofs:

Continuity: Christopher Lambert's character is billed as John Henry Brennick, however during the scene where ZED is processing Brennick into the fortress, he is referred to as "Brennick, John W.".

Quotes:

Marcus: Girl, you better recognize my skills. I could build a radio station out of a milk carton and two condom wrappers.

Movie Connections:

References "Star Trek" (1966)

What Did You Expect?

Okay, so the first wasn't anything to boast about. Ergo, the sequel is likely to be only as good as the original, at best. Most sequels just turn out to be a flop or pale in comparison to the first. Fortress 2 is no exception.

Years later, Brennick and his family are being hunted down by the same Men-tel Corporation that build the first Fortress. Lambert returns again as Brennick, although he is starting to show his age. Pam Grier makes a surprising appearance as one of the Men-tel corporate big wigs. Brennick is captured and sent to a new fortress in space. There is a new ZED as the HAL9000 spin off from the first Fortress. Not as much detail (costumes, SFX, etc.)are given to this sequel compared to the first. The coed nature of the prison is a bit surprising as women shower next to men. So much for privacy and heaven help you (man or woman) if you drop the soap! Liz May Brice (Resident Evil, AVP) plays Elena Rivera and gives quite a memorable performance with her shower scene.

Plot holes soon develop when Brennick and his cohorts hack into the video surveillance system. Then the film gets a bit cheesy when a retarded man gains access to ZED and recorded shower scenes fool the porn-hungry prison guards. The special effects are appropriate with such a low-budget film and the laws of gravity are stretched to extreme. All you can honestly ask after watching this is, "What did you expect?" 2/10