Horror Movie Review: The Fly II (1989)

The Fly II is a 1989 science fiction horror film that is a direct sequel to the 1986 film The Fly which in turn was based on George Langelaan’s 1957 short story of the same name. It was a classic and you read our review here.

Directed by Chris Walas, starring Eric Stoltz and Daphne Zuniga, it tries to capture the fantastical nature of the original while upping the gore & nastiness at the expense of a well-told story.

Beginning several months after the original, Veronica (Saffron Henderson) gives birth to Seth Brundle’s child. Not a conventional child unfortunately but a squirming larval sac. The shock kills her & the doctors open it to discover a seemingly normal child they name, Martin.

The boy is raised by the owner of the company which financed Brundle’s experiments and are aware of the accident that merged him with a fly. They know Brundle was on to something so hope to replicate his work through Martin.

Martin grows up in a lab as he ages faster then a normal human being. Along with his growth spurt, he also possesses genius-level intellect and incredible reflexes. As far as he knows he is suffering from a disease, the same that his father had & the one that killed him.

While still young (aged 3 but with the physique & mental capabilities of a 10-year old) he sneaks out & watches a group of scientists attempt to teleport a dog using Brundle’s pod designs. Naturally it fails leaving the dog mutated in a particularly horrific scene.

The practical effect off the mutant dog is eye-wateringly impressive as are many of the other effects.

Two years later, Martin’s body has matured to that of a 25-year-old and on his fifth birthday, he is offered a job. To continue his father’s work, something that he is initially uneasy to do considering what he saw with the dog.

After seeing a video tape of his father talking about how the Telepods improved his body, Martin decides to finish what he started. Time is running out for him though as the mutation that took his dad is beginning to show.

The end result is as expected but nice and gruesome. The plot of The Fly II may not be much to get excited about but the slimy gore is. Ultimately, it’s not much more than a visual treat. The acting is nothing to get excited about, Eric Stoltz does ok but he fails to hold the screen in the way that Jeff Goldblum did. The introduction of a female love interest, Beth (Daphne Zuniga) ends up making the whole thing feel like a retread of the first film.

Did The Fly need a sequel? Absolutely not but it’s not the worst thing you’ll ever watch. Worth checking out for the impressive effects alone.

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