Screamers: The Hunting (2009)

Review by Tim-O



Starring: Gina Holden, Lance Henriksen
Directed by Sheldon Wilson

A sequel to 1996’s “Screamers” (based on the story ‘Second Variety’ by Philip K. Dick and starring Peter Weller), “Screamers: The Hunting” picks up years after that film with an S.O.S. signal sent to Earth from the now thought abandoned screamer planet. A military rescue team (that just happens to include the Weller character’s now adult daughter) is assembled to investigate the S.O.S. Upon arriving to the planet, the team discovers a band of human survivors fighting to survive and screamers still active and hunting and killing the humans. The screamers have evolved to the point of becoming half human and half machine. They apparently take the humans they kill and use their bodies to create these monstrosities. During the rescuers’ investigation, a screamer gets on board their ship and destroys its fuel supply. With a convenient plot device radiation storm that will destroy the planet in 7 days coming, the team has to find a fuel source and rescue any remaining humans in time before all is lost. The question is; Is this a straight rescue mission, or a sinister plot by the screamers to hitch a ride to Earth?

While not a huge fan of the original “Screamers” movie, I did find it an enjoyable and fun Sci-Fi thriller. I found “Screamers: The Hunting” to be almost as enjoyable and fun. It has a plot similar to “Aliens” and even, like “Aliens”, co-stars Lance Henriksen in an all too brief appearance as the designer of the screamers. Lance is wonderful as always and the rest of the cast does a decent job with the material. The production values are good with only a few bad CGI effects. They’re brief and not too distracting, though. If the budget was low, the filmmakers did a good job of not letting it show. I also thought the half human/half screamers were really cool and made this sequel feel a lot more like a creature feature than the original. The film has an open ending that suggests more sequels are on the way, too.

“Screamers: The Hunting” isn’t going to be on your favorites list but, as I stated before, it’s good fun. It’s definitely worth a rental, especially if you liked the original. Enjoy this one on a rainy day when you’re in the mood for a fun sci-fi horror flick. 6/10