Contracted: Phase II

Ich persönlich würde den ersten Film als abgeschlossen betrachten (obwohl er für manche nicht ausreichend ist), aber die Schöpfer seines Nachfolgers sind anderer Meinung. Also haben wir hier Phase 2, die uns gerne den Ursprung der Infektion enthüllen würde. Leider tut sie dies auf eine uninteressante und laxere Weise. Neben der Enthüllung der Wahrheit gibt es auch noch polizeiliche Ermittlungen und aus dem ursprünglich depressiven, klaustrophobischen Flair des ersten Teils ist der zweite zu einem klassischen "Zombie"-Film mit mehr Charakteren geworden. Aber sicherlich werdet ihr auch dieses Mal nicht von der ekligen Transformation enttäuscht sein, nur diesmal in abgeschwächter Form, wenn der Körper Finger- und Fußnägel, Haare, Zähne oder sogar ein Auge verliert. Das abscheulichste Moment bleibt jedoch das Entfernen der Würmer unter der eigenen Haut. Aber was den nächsten Teil betrifft, muss ich ihn nicht unbedingt haben. (08.09.2015)

Quality-wise, I think Phase II is very similar to its predecessor. So in this regard, it’s successful, though it could naturally be argued whether this slightly above average body horror movie needed a sequel to begin with. The second part takes on exactly where the first part left and has a bit of a wider scope. Now we don’t follow only the intimate physical disintegration of the leading character, but also the police investigation and the thus far questionable mythology behind the contagion. The disgusting bits are exactly what the viewer expects (pus, worms, falling teeth, etc.), so nothing very original or surprising that would pull you out of your seat. Watchable average. (05.09.2015)

I had concerns about this sequel to a great movie, and it turned out that they were justified. The creators needed to connect to the previous storyline, so they had no choice but to repeat the same process with a different character in a shorter time, which obviously didn't impress me much. To add something new, an investigation was launched, which brought some action. However, the biggest problem was the resignation to create an atmosphere similar to the original movie. Sure, there were ulcers, there were worms, there was necrosis, and self-surgeries like in the Terminator, but they didn't have the desired effect. Even if it hadn't been for that, I still wouldn't be satisfied because I didn't get important answers regarding the main villain. What about his immunity? Where did the virus come from? I understand that the creators didn't want to delve into answers that would be much more complicated than the story itself and that their ambitions weren't high, but then they should have taken a different path because they walked into a knife. Like Alice... (07.01.2023)