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In 1986, David Cronenberg released his remake of the 1958 film, The Fly and gave it his own unique version. Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) has invented a new form of transportation: Telepods. With this invention, nobody will ever be car sick, air sick, sea sick or even tricyle sick again. Just one problem – they can only transport inanimate objects. With the help of journalist Veronica Quaife, aka Ronnie (Geena Davis), he gets it right and the pair fall in love.
One night, Ronnie pays a visit to her boss and ex-boyfriend Stathis Borans (John Getz) over an article that he has taken credit for. Mistaking this for cheating on him, Seth goes in the telepods himself. But, he doesn’t spot the fly inside the pod….
The Fly II contiues where the first film left off and is about Seth’s son, Martin (Eric Stoltz) who is looked after by Seth’s old company, Bartok Industries, led by Bartok (Lee Richardson). He continues his father’s work in perfecting the telepods and has a relationship with one of the company’s employees, Beth Logan (Daphne Zuniga).
But his dormant insect genes soon start to kick in and Martin starts his transformation into a fly. But he is determined to find a cure before it’s too late.
Out of the two films, the 1986 movie is the best. The acting is excellent particulary from Jeff Goldblum, the script is good and the oscar winning make-up effects are very good and suitably gory. The sequel is still an enjoyable film but it’s just not as good as the first film.
Both films are in their original 1.85:1 ratio and look great. The first film looks almost flawless, with very little picture problems and everything is clear and detailed. The sequel also looks very good but not quite as much.
Both films are presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and sound pretty good. The Fly is the better sounding of the two. Howard Shore‘s music gets the most benefit here but there are some surround effects particulary towards the end. The Fly II‘s audio is also good but the music benefits from the mix it sounds very similiar to the music used in Hellraiser. In fact, it’s by the same composer, Christopher Young).
The extras are as follows:
The Fly:
- Trailer: Presented in 1.33:1, nearly 2 minutes, with an 80’s synthesizer score.
- Behind The Scenes: A 6½-minute featurette offering insights into the film’s special effects.
- Interviews: Additional interviews with key figures like David Cronenberg, Jeff Goldblum, and Geena Davis.
The Fly II:
- Trailer: In 1.33:1, lasting just over a minute.
- The Making Of The Fly II: A 5-minute look at the production.
- Interviews: Featuring Eric Stoltz, Daphne Zuniga, and others from the cast and crew.
The films are out now on The Fly Blu-ray and The Fly / The Fly II DVD double pack.
|
THE FLY THE FLY II PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS |
8 6 10 6 4 |
| OVERALL | 7 |
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 191 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Year: 1986/1989
Released: 2001
Cat.no: 01983 DVD
Region(s): 2, PAL
Chapters: 24/24 plus extras
Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1
Languages: English
Subtitles: English for the hearing impaired, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Portuguese, Hebrew, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Icelandic
Widescreen: 1.85:1
16:9-Enhanced: Yes
Macrovision: Yes
Disc Format: DVD 9
Price: £19.99
The Fly:
Director: David Cronenberg
Producers: Mel Brooks, Stuart Cornfeld
Screenplay: Charles Edward Pogue, David Cronenberg
Music: Howard Shore
Cast:
Seth Brundle: Jeff Goldblum
Veronica Quaife: Geena Davis
Stathis Borans: John Getz
Tawny: Joy Boushel
Dr. Cheevers: Les Carlson
Marky: George Chuvalo
The Fly II:
Director: Chris Walas
Producer: Steven-Charles Jaffe
Screenplay: Mick Garris, Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat, Frank Darabont
Music: Christopher Young
Cast:
Martin Brundle: Eric Stoltz
Beth Logan: Daphne Zuniga
Anton Bartok: Lee Richardson
Stathis Borans: John Getz
Dr. Shepard: Frank Turner
Dr. Jainway: Ann Marie Lee
Scorby: Gary Chalk
Veronica Quaife: Saffron Henderson
Seth Brundle: Jeff Goldblum (archive footage) (uncredited)