THE FLY 2
US, 1989, 105 minutes, Colour.
Eric Stoltz, Daphne Zuniga, Lee Richardson.
Directed by Chris Walas.
The Fly 2 takes up where the original ended. David Cronenberg was the director of the first. The director of the sequel is the special effects director, Chris Walas.
The film takes a lot of the elements of the original, including having some scenes with Jeff Goldblum shown on video. John Getz reprises, briefly, his role from the original.
Special effects are important in this film - at times excessively so. Only ardent fans of the genre will appreciate some of the fly sequences, especially the confrontation of the stalking monster at the end and the deaths. On the other hand, much of the film is gentle with Eric Stoltz (Mask, Some Kind of Wonderful) as the son of the fly. Daphne Zuniga (Sure Thing, Space Balls) is an enterprising heroine. However, Lee Richardson as the unscrupulous businessman is excellently menacing and receives a dreadful poetic justice end.
As with so many films about science, The Fly is an allegory against unsupervised and unscrupulous scientific experimentation. It takes the conservative stance that such scientists are playing God blasphemously and are destroying humanity.
1. Interesting science fiction and horror? Comparison with the original 50s film, the 80s predecessor? How well does the film stand in itself, as a sequel?
2. The display of special effects, stunts, the monstrous fly? Atmospheric score?
3. Themes of science, power? The blend with the horror? The stalking monster? The final poetic justice?
4. The relationship between scientific experimentation, industry, genetic engineering, inhumanity and scientists and businessmen playing God? The search for power?
5. The film as an allegory for the 20th century, a cautionary tale? The ugly dramatisation highlighting the possible devastation? Basic human reactions to the plot? The conservative viewpoint of the allegory?
6. The transition from the original? The birth of the boy, the presuppositions about his nature? The reference to his father? The use of videos and Jeff Goldblum's speeches, transformation into the fly? The references to the journalist in the video, Martin and Beth visiting him, his hatred for Seth, his final decision to help?
7. Bartok and his industries? His assistants Janeway and Sheppard? The professor? The staff? The birth of the child, the strict securities? The enormous plant and equipment? The pods and the chambers? Bartok's hopes? His power lust and control? Bartok as suave, the elderly megalomaniac?
8. Bartok's unscrupulosity, his relationship with Martin? Posing as a father (and the irony of the magic word being 'Dad')? With Martin as he grew up, the destruction of the dog and its effect? The bond between the two, the birthday party, giving him the home? Always having an answer? The final telling of the truth, his unwillingness to help Martin, his brutal attitudes towards him, the confrontation? The irony of the fly taking him into the chamber and the poetic justice of his being reduced to a fly?
9. Martin and his birth, the ooze background, the baby, the intelligence tests as he grew up, working out the maze, at the age of five and fully grown, the wish for the birthday, the apartment and his privacy? A nice young man? His puzzle about the place, getting clearance for various areas, the importance of finding the transformed dog and putting him out of his misery? Exploring the plant, meeting Beth, sharing, falling in love? The experiments on the pods, and his computer work?. The sexual encounter and its being videoed? Finding the tapes and the speeches of his father, finding out the truth about his father? Going to his father's enemy, finding out the truth? The separation from Beth, the growing degeneration after his arm decayed and there was no medication? Wanting to escape? The truth from Bartok and his brutality? Escaping to Beth's, gradually transforming into the monstrous fly, the Beauty and the Beast overtones with Beth, stalking those who had looked after him, the brutal murders, gentle with Beth, going into the chamber with Bartok, re-emerging as Martin? A future?
10. Beth and her work in science, interest in Martin and his work, sharing, the sexual encounter and its being videoed by the security guard and his vulgar reaction, her anger, separated, wanting to help, her fear with Martin, the authorities, taken by Bartok? Her decision to push the button for the transformation?
11. Janeway and Sheppard and their hold over Martin, dedicated scientists, the hold by Bartok, like and dislike? Their deaths?
12. The security guard and his callous attitude, the confrontation with the fly and his death?
13. The film as horror, self-indulgent in the effects - for fans only?
14. A science-fiction fable, its message? A message and effects for the horror audience?
