As far as prison films go, FORTRESS was the most ridiculous & over the top, as well as being relentlessly stupid (the Hong Kong flick STORY OF RICKY was also over the top but was actually meant as a comic book film). The biggest surprise about it was the fact that it was very successful in international release. So successful that it gained a sequel half a decade later.
John Brennick, one of the only three people to escape the Fortress, is living the quiet life with his wife Karen & young son Danny. When the Men-Tel Corporation sends in a crack commando squad to capture the family, John is recaptured while his family escapes. Sent to a new 'escape-proof' prison, Brennick tries to bust out – not an easy thing to do when you're trapped in a space station orbiting the Earth.
The thing about Fortress 2: Re-Entry is that it is not as bad as the original. Sure, it has its moments of stupidity – the space station has gravity but does not rotate (although that same fault is used by almost every space-set sci-fi film); shuttles dock with the station as if they were regular planes & the prisoners are sent into space with spacesuits that don't have tethers; a prisoner manages to wire an optical implant onto a cockroach & those same implants are inserted into the prisoners' necks but somehow transmit sensory information to the prison's computer – but it is not as stupid as the first film was (despite the fact that two of the first film's scribes wrote the story for this one).
To its credit, Re-Entry has some passable action scenes – a highlight being a scene where Lambert takes on a flamethrower-wielding prisoner while armed with a makeshift weapon & shield; the climax is more spectacular, with the prisoners trying to escape by shuttle while the station breaks apart; & the visual effects, while consisting of cheap CGI, are competent. Not to mention a couple of plot points that make for good sci-fi – the part where Lambert is placed in a bubble situated on the station's exterior, which exposes him to direct sunlight (which is very hot in space) & freezing cold alternately, & a cool scene where Lambert is blown out of the airlock without a spacesuit & tries to get back into the station – without exploding due to exposure to the vacuum (a scientific fact).
As far as acting goes, Lambert does his naughty schoolboy impression while Patrick Malahide tries to play the prison warden role by being campy – not a good thing. John Flock (the film's producer & co-scribe) makes a cameo as a psychotic Russian prisoner.
John Brennick, one of the only three people to escape the Fortress, is living the quiet life with his wife Karen & young son Danny. When the Men-Tel Corporation sends in a crack commando squad to capture the family, John is recaptured while his family escapes. Sent to a new 'escape-proof' prison, Brennick tries to bust out – not an easy thing to do when you're trapped in a space station orbiting the Earth.
The thing about Fortress 2: Re-Entry is that it is not as bad as the original. Sure, it has its moments of stupidity – the space station has gravity but does not rotate (although that same fault is used by almost every space-set sci-fi film); shuttles dock with the station as if they were regular planes & the prisoners are sent into space with spacesuits that don't have tethers; a prisoner manages to wire an optical implant onto a cockroach & those same implants are inserted into the prisoners' necks but somehow transmit sensory information to the prison's computer – but it is not as stupid as the first film was (despite the fact that two of the first film's scribes wrote the story for this one).
To its credit, Re-Entry has some passable action scenes – a highlight being a scene where Lambert takes on a flamethrower-wielding prisoner while armed with a makeshift weapon & shield; the climax is more spectacular, with the prisoners trying to escape by shuttle while the station breaks apart; & the visual effects, while consisting of cheap CGI, are competent. Not to mention a couple of plot points that make for good sci-fi – the part where Lambert is placed in a bubble situated on the station's exterior, which exposes him to direct sunlight (which is very hot in space) & freezing cold alternately, & a cool scene where Lambert is blown out of the airlock without a spacesuit & tries to get back into the station – without exploding due to exposure to the vacuum (a scientific fact).
As far as acting goes, Lambert does his naughty schoolboy impression while Patrick Malahide tries to play the prison warden role by being campy – not a good thing. John Flock (the film's producer & co-scribe) makes a cameo as a psychotic Russian prisoner.