| The Birds II: Land's End | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alan Smithee (Rick Rosenthal) |
| Produced by | Ted Kurdyla |
| Written by | Short Story: Daphne du Maurier Teleplay: Ken Wheat Jim Wheat Robert Eisele |
| Starring | Brad Johnson Chelsea Field James Naughton Jan Rubes Tippi Hedren |
| Music by | Ron Ramin |
| Cinematography | Bruce Surtees |
| Release date(s) | March 14, 1994 |
| Running time | 87 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Birds II: Land's End is the 1994 television movie sequel to Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 classic The Birds. It stars Brad Johnson, Chelsea Field, James Naughton, and Tippi Hedren, in a role different from the one she played in the original Hitchcock film. The original music score was composed by Ron Ramin.
The plot of the sequel is very similar to the original. Biology teacher and Somali Civil War veteran, Ted, his wife, and children move to a summer house on an island after the death of their son. While there, flocks of birds start attacking individuals for no apparent reason. The town mayor denies the birds' role in the injuries, but is forced to believe after further incidents of violence by the birds.
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The story opens with Ted Ojeda, his wife, Terri, and his daughter, Rachel Ojeda, moving to a house on an island after their son, Randy Ojeda, died in an airplane crash some years earlier. Meanwhile, Ellen Lopez (Hedren), listens to the radio with her brother, Gordon Lopez, a US Army Ranger veteran. Later, a sparrow flock begins pecking the window. At Ted's house, a golden eagle attacks. Meanwhile, Doc Rayburn, a Green Berets veteran, spots some cars parked near a department store. He also spots some crows furiously pecking the corpse of a mouse. Later in the day, Terry strolls along the street. Suddenly, she is swarmed by a flock of attacking golden eagles. Ted comes to the rescue, driving the eagles away by chucking dynamite at the birds. Later, a crow swoops down and inflicts a cut on Ted's forehead. The next day, people get word that the Eastern Seaboard is mysteriously under siege from sudden bird attacks. Rachel freaks out from the news, while Ted and Terry stare at the radio, speechless. At night, Buster, the family's Great Dane dog, attacks a flock of crows scavenging on a dead sheep. Doc's Greyhounds also join the attack. The resulting fight kills one of the greyhounds. A few days later, all five people decide to fight back.
Ted's house is suddenly attacked by a flock of ravens. Ellen and Doc race to the rescue. Ellen starts chucking molotov cocktails while Doc fires a submachine gun at the animals. The ravens fall back, but are run over by a freight train on a railroad track. While Doc relaxes near the beach, a seagull attacks him. Luckily, Doc is able to subdue the animal and kill it by stabbing it repeatedly with a bowie knife. At Ted's house, Ellen questions why the birds have suddenly started attacking humans. Ted responds by saying that the birds may have gotten the Rage Virus. Later, Ted's guess is proven right when Ted actually spots some seagulls and golden eagles killing a Great White Shark. Later, Ted's house is suddenly under siege by a huge swarm of birds. Doc grabs a light machine gun and mounts it on the front porch. He then proceeds to shoot down the attacking birds. Rachel grabs an assault rifle and opens fire. Ted also grabs a rifle and fires. In the ensuing gunfight, Ellen is wounded by a bird attack that cuts her wrist. Rachel's forehead is slashed by a sparrow. Doc and Ted are both wounded when a golden eagle slashes their heels with its talons. The group manages to beat off the birds before they sustain any more injuries. The next day, the house is under attack from ravens and crows, causing everyone to abandon the house altogether. Ted's family fights off the birds with rifles.
Later, Ted hatches an escape plan that Ellen agrees with. Ellen races toward a scooter and plans to escape using the scooter. Unfortunately, she's killed by the bird attack. This forces Ted and his family to take over. Ted takes the wheel of the Vespa scooter. Doc and Gordon escort Terry to a truck and escape using the vehicle. Rachel uses her rifle to open fire on the birds attacking the Vespa scooter as it makes its way down a highway. Later, several turkey vultures join the attack. When Ted swerves into a subway tunnel, the birds follow. Ted spots a subway train speeding toward the Vespa, giving him an idea. The birds continue to chase the Vespa scooter-until they are squashed to a pulp when the train speeds up. Ted and everyone else bails out, leaving the train to squash the Vespa. The president, Gerald Kennedy, orders the United States to be evacuated. The Ojeda family are chosen, while Rayburn and Gordon are left behind. Ted and his family are transported by a helicopter to Concord, New Hampshire. Suddenly, vultures attack the Blackhawk. Ted takes a minigun and opens fire. However, several vultures are sucked into the rotors and are sliced to pieces, causing the helicopter to go down near Chesapeake Bay, Maryland.
The final showdown begins here. Ted and Rachel both hold off the attackers. SSgt. Gus Griggs and Pvt. Don McDonald, both use assault rifles to hold them off. After the gunfight, the soldiers and Ted take Rachel to a refugee center before the credits.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Brad Johnson | Ted |
| Chelsea Field | May |
| James Naughton | Frank |
| Jan Rubes | Karl |
| Tippi Hedren | Ellen |
| Richard K. Olsen | Doc Rayburn |
The TV-film received widely negative reviews and was criticized by many critics. Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly slated the production,[1] especially criticizing the writing and acting, saying: "The actors in Birds II have little to do except widen their eyes in terror, and even that seems a daunting stretch for Johnson." He also commented on the fact that it was an Alan Smithee film, the pseudonym used when a director wants to disown the final film, writing "...but the poster and cassette box that Showtime sent along with the review tape clearly state that Rick Rosenthal directed Birds II", before adding "He has good reasons to want his name erased from it. If it were me, I'd sue."
Many other reviews were in the same vein, The New York Times calling the film "feeble." The film also received a score of 2.7 out of 10 on Imdb.[2]
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