Contracted: Phase II

Contracted: Phase II

Starring Matt Mercer, Marianna Palka, Morgan Peter Brown, Anna Lore

Directed by Josh Forbes

The Story:
Picking up where the original left off, Riley (Matt Mercer) is beginning to experience symptoms of a deadly zombie virus after having sexual intercourse with carrier Samantha.  He searches for a cure as Detective Crystal Young (Marianna Palka) investigates the supposed Patient Zero, BJ (Morgan Peter Brown), who had sex with Samantha and infected her with the virus.  Meanwhile, BJ stalks Riley and his motive for why he's doing what he's doing slowly comes to light.

The Synopsis:
The first "Contracted" was an interesting film with an intriguing premise, but had a weak, unsympathetic female lead.  With "Phase II," the premise is gone, the mystery is solved, and the main character is just as unsympathetic (maybe even moreso) than the original.

I'm not sure if this was originally supposed to be a trilogy ("Phase III" is in the works), because there's so many inconsistencies and plotholes from the first to the second that it seems like this was thought up after the first film was produced, in particular because in the first film Samantha said BJ was captured, but here he's free as a bird and living in a Buffalo Bob-style bunker.  Another funny plothole deals with Riley and his sister Brenda.  They're clearly brother and sister, as they stated several times throughout the film.  Yet, Riley lives with his grandmother, who mentions she stayed alive after her husband's death for him and his mother, but no mention of Brenda.  In fact, Riley never mentions his grandmother to Brenda at all.  I just found that funny.

Speaking of BJ, the biggest plus the original had was having the air of mystery, as to what the virus is, who spread it, and why.  BJ was hardly a background character in the story, which gave him an even more menacing presence.  Here, he is fully exposed, delivering cheap lines, and acting extremely erratically (especially in the end, which made no sense).  The curtain had been pulled, and behind it wasn't a wise, powerful wizard, but instead a weak-minded individual. 

The best parts of the film are when Riley is dealing with his sickness, as he squeezes puss and maggots out of his skin, among other things.  This is what makes the film, as the story around it falls flat, especially with the role of Detective Young, who goes from American, to Canadian, to Irish accents so infrequently it really bugged me.

One final aspect of this film (as well as the original) that bugged me the most was the main characters' inability to actually go to a hospital.  I know it wouldn't make for an interesting movie, but still, if I had maggots crawling out of my skin, had my skin turning a sickingly pale grey, or have literal chunks of skin falling off me, you best bet I would be first in line at the hospital.  Yet these characters never set foot in one, and in the process they end up infecting others around them as well.  Overall, its just a stupid story.

The Summary:
While the first film had an interesting premise and mystery, this one opens the doors to everything for us to see, and also gives us another unsympathetic character.

The Score: C+