The Fly II (1989)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Excellent, a Must See

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Critics and most members of the public that saw this sequel when it first came out trashed it. Is it as bad as its reputation suggests? Well, although I don't think it's a very good movie - especially when compared to the more thoughtful original movie - it's a little better than you may have heard.Certainly, it has some severe flaws. The main problem with the movie is that for the first hour or so of the running time, it feels REALLY slow and drawn out. Yes, the original movie wasn't rapid paced, but more things were unfolding in its narrative. Although I wasn't really bored, I was impatient enough to keep telling the movie to just get on with it.After the first hour has passed, things start to get moving. The next twenty or so minutes are okay, and then the remaining twenty or so minutes are kind of fun, with monster action and some impressive gory special effects. Had this gory spirit been with the first eighty minutes, we might have had a dopey but fun spatterfest. But as it is, the movie for the most part is unsatisfying. There are some good ingredients, but something went wrong cooking the entire package up.

Gory, noisy and gratuitous are three words that could easily be used to describe THE FLY II. Actually the fifth "fly" movie to be released (after the initial 1958 movie, its two sequels, and the 1986 Jeff Goldblum hit), this is also clichéd, nonsensical, and quite frequently boring on occasion. The main problem is the story, or rather the lack of it, which meanders aimlessly for about seventy minutes before the film becomes a mildly entertaining monster-on-the-loose thriller, with the emphasis on special effects over plot twists. Fans of horror as entertainment should look elsewhere, as this is a dark and dismal outing with a mean-spirited edge which saps life from those who watch it. Certain sequences involving a cute dog being transformed into a pathetic mutation are pretty depressing to watch, although on the other hand they are indeed the most horrific thing in the film.Eric Stoltz plays Goldblum's son, Martin, an extremely intelligent youth. Stoltz is actually very good in this picture and actually makes it better than it ought to be. Daphne Zuniga (unrecognisable from her first role in PRANKS) is wasted though in a nothing role as Stoltz's girlfriend; her character is bland, her acting wooden, and she just stands around looking pretty rather than do anything else. Lee Richardson, the older 'baddie' businessman (think Joss Ackland-type) is too nice to be truly evil as the baddie, however. The film's pedestrian direction is by Chris Walas, who did the special effects in THE FLY. He really shoulda stuck to what he does best, namely making gory effects.Gore fans might enjoy this one thanks to the numerous scenes of violence, cruelty and strange slimy/disgusting creations. Opening with a disturbingly squishy birth sequence, we're treated to needles breaking off in arms (certainly the most cringe-worthy moment), bodies disintegrating and one outrageous shot of a guy's head getting squished under a lift. The 'vomit' effects are back at the end, too, resulting in the film's most gory moment of a guy getting his face eaten away. Like we really needed to see that in that kind of detail. The final monster effects are pretty good, with fine animation, but the monster itself could have been designed better. In the end this is a pointless kind of movie, with a few sick moments to recommend it for those who like that kind of thing, but otherwise a watch-once sort of flick that lacks the power and originality of the first.

Eric Stoltz, Daphne Zuniga, Lee Richardson and John Getz star in this 1989 sci-fi/horror sequel. This begins with woman, Veronica (Originally played by Geena Davis) dying after giving birth to a baby. Soon, we meet the child, Martin Brundle (Stoltz) who is not only very intelligent, but ages rapidly because of his late, father, Seth (Jeff Goldblum). Richardson plays businessman, Anton Bartok who adopts Martin and is head of company, Bartok Industries. Soon, Martin learns about his father, his research and that he's inherited his insect genes trying to find a cure. He also discovers that Bartok is corrupt and using him to continue his father's work. Zuniga (Spaceballs) plays Martin's love-interest, Beth Logan and Getz returns briefly as Stathis Borans who is now crippled. This isn't a bad sequel that's underrated, Stoltz is great in it, Chris Walas' make-up effects are grotesquely good and Christopher Young's score is great as usual. I recommend this.

This movie gets a bad rap that I feel is undeserved. Sure, it's nowhere near as great as the 1958 or 1986 Fly films, but it's still pretty good.After the events of The Fly (1986), Veronica dies during childbirth, producing a larval sac containing the infant son of Veronica and Seth. The baby is named Martin, and is taken into the custody of Bartok, the owner of the company who funded Seth's experiments. Due to his fly genes, Martin grows at an accelerated rate, having the emotional and physical maturity of a man in his mid-twenties by age 5. Martin's fly genes then start to surface, and he escapes Bartok Industries with employee Beth Logan, who he is romantically involved with. Martin's mutations continue to progress until he is recaptured by Bartok, and he then fully mutates into a large monster that rampages through Bartok's building.The special effects in this are top-notch, which isn't surprising considering this film is directed by Chris Walas, who handled the special effects for The Fly and Gremlins. The Martinfly creature in particular is awesome, and the mutated dog creature's looks make it both ugly and sympathetic. The Martinfly creature begins killing people almost immediately after its (re)birth, and the kills it racks up are great, in particular when it vomits acid on a guard's face.Eric Stoltz does a good job as Martin, and like Jeff Goldblum, he has to act through pounds of makeup much of the time. Bartok is an OK villain, he's a bit of a stereotypical emotionless businessman, but his fate as a deformed lab experiment is a welcome and unconventional end for a villain. The third act is the highlight, but the first two acts of the film are still quite good. It's a more conventional monster movie than the 1986 film which is far superior, but it's well done for what it is.