Bullet Points: Frogtown II
You can probably pose this question to a vast majority of the sequels that are released every single year, but was anyone really asking for a Hell Comes to Frogtown sequel?
Whether they were asking or not, the world got a Frogtown sequel in 1992, titled Frogtown II.
- Meaner and Greener: Following the events of Hell Comes to Frogtown, the humans and the inhabitants of Frogtown signed a peace treaty and were co-existing without incident for years… that is until Czar Frogmeister began stirring up the frog people. Texas Rocket Ranger Jones (Lou Ferrigno, Cage) goes to investigate some suspicious activity around Frogtown and ends up falling into a Czar Frogmeister trap executed by the returning Commander Toty and when I say falling, I mean that literally as he is shot out of the sky. Ranger Jones is captured and will be the guinea pig for a serum that is being developed to even the playing field and turn everyone on the planet into frog people.
- What in Sam Hell: Sam Hell is back with Robert Z’Dar (Young Rebels) replacing Roddy Piper. Hell joined the Texas Rocket Rangers following the events of the first movie and his partner was Ranger Jones… so when he gets word that Jones has been captured, he is obviously quite motivated to return to Frogtown to rescue his partner/friend. Sam is not as motivated to return to Frogtown with his newly assigned partner Dr. Spangle (Denice Duff, Bloodfist V: Human Target), Sam’s boss Captain Delano (Charles Napier, Hard Justice) insists and points Sam and Spangle in the direction of a retired Texas Rocket Ranger who works as a blacksmith on the outskirts of Frogtown, Brandy Stone (Don Stroud, The King of the Kickboxers), who was recently the victim of a frog person attack.
- Roll Out: Brandy hooks Sam and Spangle up with a dune buggy and allows them to stash their Rocket Ranger jet packs at his shop. But it isn’t long into their journey to Frogtown that Sam and Spangle are ambushed. The dune buggy is obliterated and Dr. Spangle is taken captive… it really does not pay to be Sam Hell’s partner. Spangle is forced to strip in front of Czar Frogmeister and do a little dance for him before she is thrown in a jail cell next to Ranger Jones, who is in the early stages of his frog person transformation… can you imagine Lou Ferrigno with green skin?!?! Meanwhile Sam has made his way back to Brandy’s blacksmith shop on foot… after a beer, Brandy convinces Sam he’s going to need to use his rocket pack at low altitude to get back to Frogtown and rescue his fellow Rocket Rangers.
- Hello Nurse: Once he arrives in Frogtown, Sam stashes his rocket pack in a cave before going incognito to the Frogtown saloon. It is at the saloon where Sam meets Nurse Cloris… Cloris knows Sam is a human in disguise, but she has a thing for non-green dicks, so she agrees to lead Sam to his friends IF he gives her the D. After being satisfied, Nurse Cloris is true to her word. It seems like this rescue mission is going to be a success thanks to some help from some other unexpected allies, including the Junior Czar (a puppet) and the mad scientist Professor Tanzer (who Czar Frogmeister is forcing to make the serum that will turn everyone into frog people) played by the scene stealing Brion James.
- Frogtown Showdown: Czar Frogmeister and Commander Toty put the kibosh on Sam Hell’s rescue mission and now Sam, Dr. Spangle and the traitorous Nurse Cloris are set to be executed by Czar Frogmeister’s hand picked executioner, Ranger Jones… but Frogmeister may have overestimated how powerful the serum was AND to throw an additional monkey wrench in the Czar’s plans is an out of retirement Brandy Stone! The movie wraps up with a Sam Hell and Commander Toty rematch and the identity of Czar Frogmeister being revealed.
No one can accuse Frogtown II of being nothing but rehash… a common complaint among sequels. There were of course some elements from the 1988 original that carried over, but the inclusion of the Texas Rocket Rangers and their rejected Rocketeer wardrobe was a big change from the original. Plus, the film being shot on the Paramount Ranch meant instead of a post apocalyptic world, Frogtown II felt like it was taking place in the Old West (or just the West for our more senior readers).
No one can accuse me of not including some Bonus Bullet Points for this review of Frogtown II…
- AKA: Frogtown II is also known as Return to Frogtown.
- Familiar Face: Rhonda Shear of USA Up All Night fame played the AI face and voice of the Texas Rocket Rangers computer system known as FUZZY. It is fitting that Frogtown II did appear on USA’s late night series.
- Directed By: Donald G. Jackson returned to the director’s chair for Frogtown II after directing the 1988 original.
- But Wait, There’s More: If nobody was asking for Frogtown II, I really doubt they were asking for 1996’s Toad Warrior and 2002’s Max Hell Frog Warrior.
