Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Fly II’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

When it comes to cinema and television for that matter as well, everything old is new again. Because this is a golden age, or renaissance if you prefer, for remakes and reboots since they’re popping up everywhere left and right and while one could go on for hours in regards to remakes and what people think about them, I’d rather focus on a niche part of that market that seems to be drawing concern from some circles of fans, the sequel to a remake. Because some feel that by giving a reimagined story a sequel, that every last ounce of creativity is leaving the industry. 
 
But the fact of the matter is, as I said before, everything old is new again and the sequel to a remake, oddly enough falls into that mantra. Because Hollywood has done them before, they simply weren’t discussed that much at the time due to the fact that so many of them were downright terrible. They simply didn’t have the production values or the big-name backings that they do in this day and age, and ironically, one of the finest remakes to ever hit the horror market, 1986’s The Fly, actually managed to inspire one of the worst follow ups to a remake to ever be produced by way of 1989’s, The Fly II.
 
Now the plot to this particular sequel was pretty by the numbers. Veronica from the first film, gives birth to the late Seth Brundle’s child, and dies during delivery, which means that young Martin Brundle is going to live quite the unique life. After all, he is adopted and raised by a man named Anton Bartok, who funded his father’s scientific ventures and he is growing up at an accelerate rate since he too, is half fly. But as he matures into an adult man, his sheltered and seemingly wonderful life is about to take quite the powerful turn, for he has been asked to finish his late father’s work, and the search to solve the mystery of teleportation, will lead Martin to discover some uncomfortable truths about his father, and his own fate…
 
So, this movie is a rough one to watch for one giant reason, it’s predictable. I mean, I get it, someone saw a grand opportunity to continue the story by answering the question that was on all of our minds at the end of the last one; what was going to become of Veronica’s baby? But once we get past Martin’s weird larval stage and accelerated growth, the movie slides into familiar territory. In fact, it’s basically a re-hash of the first film, since Martin has the same issues as his father and while he goes on a slightly different journey, the end result is the same and that robs the movie its potential power completely. Because you know what’s coming, and the thrill and tension that’s present in its predecessor is simply not present here.
 
Which quite frankly, is a shame. Because had the folks behind the scenes agreed upon a different script or direction for the franchise, who knows what wonders we could have enjoyed. But instead, this re-hash offers little in the way of scares or uncomfortable moments. It’s just an hour and a half of special effects and mugging for the camera and well, it’s one that I cannot recommend. However, if by chance you’re curious about this one, or you love the Fly franchise and are not aware of this entry, then go in with an open mind and accept it for what it is, a by the numbers horror flick, and a missed opportunity.

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