David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake of The Fly is a masterwork of body horror cinema. 1989’s The Fly II isn’t, but it’s deserving of more respect than it’s received. For one, the film is helmed by Chris Walas, who won an Oscar for his work on the original film’s creature effects. Two, it’s held together by an impressive performance from Eric Stoltz. He may not have ended up being Marty McFly, but at least he got to be the son of the Fly. Better yet is the film’s connection to Cronenberg’s classic, a movie which didn’t necessarily beg for a sequel, but did essentially lead into one. The star power of Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis is sorely missed, but it does make sense why we follow their son as opposed to, well, just Davis’ Veronica Quaife.
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Like The Thing and The Blob, The Fly is one of the best remakes ever made. If you haven’t seen it, you should. And, once you’re done, The Fly II is worth a watch, too. Don’t expect a comparable level of quality, but do expect a comparable amount of blood.
What Is The Fly II About?
The Fly II picks up just a few months after the events of the first film. We once more see Veronica giving birth to the writhing larval sac (seen in a nightmare sequence in the original film). But now, we also learn that she dies doing so.
We also learn that, within the writhing larval sac isn’t a gruesome creature like the later stage Brundlefly, but rather a normal looking little boy. But his appearance is the closest to normality the boy will ever get, and even that won’t last.
This is something Anton Bartok, the head of the company that financed Seth Brundle’s teleportation pods, is well aware of. He adopts the child, names him Martin, and makes his upbringing one elongated science experiment.
Martin is growing far faster than a standard human being, both in terms of body and mind. And, with his expanding mind, he has expanding curiosity. It seems his surrogate father does not actually have his best interest at heart. In fact, his surrogate father won’t even ever be honest with him about just who his biological parents were.
Bartok has no interest in giving Martin a life of his own. He just wants him to replicate the program that allowed his father’s teleportation device to actually function.
In time, Martin recognizes he’s being held against his will. But this will prove more devastating for Bartok and his employees than even Martin himself, who is, like his father before him, about to enter the final, toothed stage of his evolution.
That is essentially the first 75% of the film. The last 25% then devolves into a slasher film with a massive, ooze-dripping monster instead of a hockey mask-wearing killer. Suffice to say, the first three quarters have more depth and are overall better than the final stretch. But even the final stretch has its merits. For one, it’s harder to imagine a villain getting his comeuppance in a more disgusting way than The Fly II‘s Bartok.
Why Has The Fly II Buzzed Under the Radar?
Cronenberg’s 1986 The Fly grossed just over $60 million against a budget of at most $15 million. As far as less appreciated horror sequels go, The Fly II didn’t perform horribly at the box office. It more than tripled its $12.5 million price tag.
But the first film’s strong reputation as an Academy Award winning horror film also helped it remain popular on home media. The Fly II, however, was never the easiest movie to find on home media. The best way to catch it was as a late-night airing on AMC.
The simple truth is that, whereas The Fly is a brilliantly constructed sci-fi horror allegory for the AIDS epidemic, The Fly II is more or less just a straightforward monster movie with a connection to the smarter film. It’s an underappreciated straightforward monster movie, one that will appeal to those who love the subgenre, but it doesn’t have quite the macro scale appeal of Cronenberg’s film.
But, if you’re in the mood for some gooey practical effects, or if you’re a Stoltz fan, or if you love the first film, it’s well worth a rental. Unfortunately, it’s not even available to rent. But you can pick up the excellent collection put out by Scream Factory, which includes the three ’50s films, Cronenberg’s classic, and The Fly II.
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