The Fly II (1989)

The almost-human son of "Brundlefly" searches for a cure to his mutated genes while being monitored by a nefarious corporation that wishes to continue his father's experiments.

Director:

Chris Walas

Writers:

Mick Garris (screenplay), Jim Wheat (screenplay)

Stars:

Eric Stoltz, Daphne Zuniga, Lee Richardson

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eric Stoltz	...	Martin Brundle
Daphne Zuniga	...	Beth Logan
Lee Richardson	...	Anton Bartok
John Getz	...	Stathis Borans
Frank C. Turner	...	Dr. Shepard (as Frank Turner)
Ann Marie Lee	...	Dr. Jainway
Garry Chalk	...	Scorby (as Gary Chalk)
Saffron Henderson	...	Veronica Quaife
Harley Cross	...	10 year old Martin
Matthew Moore	...	4 year old Martin
Rob Roy	...	Wiley
Andrew Rhodes	...	Hargis
Pat Bermel	...	Mackenzie
William S. Taylor	...	Dr. Trimble (as William Taylor)
Jerry Wasserman	...	Simms

Storyline

Seth Brundle was a renowned scientist whose warped experiments with teleportation transformed him into a man/fly hybrid called BrundleFly. A few months after the BrundleFly insect met its demise by his lover's, Veronica, shotgun, she dies while giving birth to their son, Martin. Seth's corrupt employer, Bartok, adopts Martin, only so Martin can solve the new problems that the still-functioning TelePods present and to use him as a science project because of the dormant insect genes. Martin is now fully grown, even though he is five, and the fly genes begin to awaken and make him just like dear, dead dad. With the help of his girlfriend, Beth, they go to wherever they can find a possible cure before Bartok finds them and brings them back, but not before Martin finishes his transformation into MartinFly, the deadliest of the BrundleFly species.

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Plot Keywords:

scientist | teleportation | sex scene | motel | orphan | 

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Taglines:

Like father, like son.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Fly 2

Filming Locations:

Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,751,371, 12 February 1989

Gross USA:

$20,021,322

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$38,903,179

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brooksfilms

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When she was interviewed about the film, Daphne Zuniga said that Beth Logan gets stronger by what happens in the movie and changes by the end of the movie. Beth's character arc is similar to Sarah Connor's in The Terminator (1984). Linda Hamilton, who played Sarah Connor, was David Cronenberg's first choice to play Veronica Quaife in The Fly (1986), but Geena Davis was cast.

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Goofs

When MartinFly sprays corrosive vomit in the guard's face, you can hear him scream even though his mouth is closed.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Veronica Quaife (on videotape): Oh, my God! There's something wrong! I can feel it!

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Crazy Credits

The sound of flies buzzing is heard in the 20th Century Fox intro at the very beginning of the film.

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Alternate Versions

Alternate Ending: On the 2-Disc version of the Fly II, there is a alternate ending on Disc 1, under the special features section. The scene takes place in the daytime on Beth Logan's houseboat. It shows her bringing some food to Martin, who's sitting down on the dock. She asks, "How do you feel?" He replies, "Much better." As he is saying this, the camera zooms in on his eyes. One eye is an almost blackish color, while the other one is green.

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Connections

Referenced in Resident Evil 4 (2005)

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Soundtracks

Lock, Stock and Teardrops
Written by Roger Miller
Performed by k.d. lang (as k. d. lang)
Courtesy of SIRE RECORDS
By Arrangement with WARNER SPECIAL PRODUCTS

User Reviews

Who Said "History Never Repeats?"

Yep, the same studio that made the original classic "The Fly" from the late Fifties decided that it was time to revisit the franchise a few decades later. But this sequel to the far superior David Cronenberg re-visitation is not so much a vehicle for its grade-B cast, as it is a showcase for its new director, special effects wiz Chris Walas. To his credit, he knew that this was his opportunity to go bananas, and that's exactly what he did.

Eric Stoltz is given the unenviable task of picking up where Jeff Goldblum left off, as the equally hapless son of the Seth Brundle character. Geena Davis wisely took a time-out, so a lookalike actress takes her place as Veronica "Ronnie" Quaife, who conveniently gets to die in the first few minutes, in a childbirth sequence that may make anything in the "Alien" series pale by comparison.

As ooky and icky as Cronenberg's bodily mutation-horror point of view was in the previous outing, Walas takes those cues to the 'nth' degree here, so those who are animal lovers or possessing delicate stomachs are hereby given fair warning: this is NOT a pretty picture.

Cinephiles who have wasted oceans of print criticizing THE FLY II should take note: the notices were equally severe all those years ago for RETURN OF THE FLY, when Fox tried to cash in then on the predecessor that had such a great pedigree. That cast included Vincent Price, Herbert Marshall, Patricia Medina and Al (David) Hedison.

With the new-fangled model starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis, didn't anyone get even a hint of "deja vu all over again?" C'est la vie. The only person sticking around (pun intended) from the "new original" is John Getz as the unfortunate bastard Stathis Borans, and to his credit, he played it with deadpan perfection, not to mention that his character is given the sequel's best dialogue. In other words, it's pretty obvious from the way he played things that Getz "gets" it.

Even if Stoltz and the non-descript Daphne Zuniga had been up to the task of overcoming the FX bombast on display (which they obviously weren't), the producers, writers and director weren't out to surpass the last episode in quality, as much as in the queaze quotient. Only Lee Richardson as Anton Bartok, the wicked, narrow-minded industrialist bent on exploiting the late Dr. Brundle's experiments to the max, does his job admirably well. You love to hate him on first sight, and the fact that he delivers the goods makes the gruesome fate his character suffers that much more satisfying.

So, in closing, let's sum up the main points here: for classic terror and the not-so classic follow up, go back to the Fifties original and its progeny. For modern-day mayhem and mounds of moldering makeup effects, go to the creepy Cronenberg version, then do not pass go, skip lunch and try this ordeal of offal on for size. You will be grossed-out, guaranteed, and popcorn is definitely optional, skipping the extra butter, of course.