Return of the Fly Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Return of the Fly Blu-ray Movie Review

Edward Bernds's Return of the Fly (1959) is being released with new, exclusive extras as part of Scream Factory's five-movie box set, The Fly Collection.

My colleague Jeff Kauffman covered this sequel as part of the bundle, The Vincent Price Collection II, in 2014. To read his synopsis and analysis of the film/disc, please click here.

Return of the Fly Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Return of the Fly appears in its original theatrical aspect ratio of about 2:35:1 on this MPEG-4 AVC-encoded BD-50. This seems struck from the same master that Shout! Factory used for its 2014 transfer although the bitrates vary some. Scream has encoded the feature at a mean video bitrate of 36000 kbps, which is up some from the earlier disc's 32888 kbps. I'm a little more impressed with the transfer than Jeff was five years ago. The image shows good stability and grain is consistent. There are very concessional white specks. There's a light scratch over the left side of character Philippe Delambre's face in Screenshot #9. Sharpness and clarity are excellent. Look at how Philippe's hair shines in the rain in capture #3.

The 80-minute movie comes with twelve chapter selections.

Return of the Fly Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream supplies the film's original monaural, rendered here as a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix (1614 kbps, 24-bit). Due to the addition of two commentaries, the average bitrate drops a notch here (the first disc averages 2081 kbps). I didn't notice a drop in quality, however, from the track Jeff reviewed.

Optional English SDH are accessible through the menu or via remote activation.

Return of the Fly Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• NEW Audio Commentary with Actor David Frankham and Jonathan David Dixon - 93-year-old David Frankham, who portrays the villain Ronald Holmes in Return of the Fly, is still very giddy, witty, and sharp. Fellow actor Jonathan David Dixon mostly moderates this feature-length chat. Dixon has a diary that Frankham kept while making the film handy to refresh his memory. But Frankham also remembers stories about the shoot as he watches the film and shares them with the audience. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Audio Commentary with Author/Film Historian Tom Weaver - Weaver is the author of several books on sci-fi/moster movies, including Universal Terrors, 1951-1955: Eight Classic Horror and Science Fiction Films, Bob Burns' Monster Kid Memories, and Monsters, Mutants and Heavenly Creatures: Confessions of 14 Classic Sci-Fi/Horrormeisters!. Since he didn't record a commentary for The Fly (1958), Weaver spends some time discussing the reception for the original and why (or why not) certain cast members returned for the sequel. He also delivers various production facts and anecdotes for the first film and Return of the Fly. Weaver opines why didn't like certain lines of dialogue, plot points, and individual scenes. While not as high on the '59 film as he was as a kid, Weaver still sees some redeeming qualities. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Actor Brett Halsey and Film Historian David Del Valle - this track was recorded in 2014 and is a holdover from the 2014 BD. Brett Halsey, who plays lead protagonist Philippe Delambre, is relaxed and soft-spoken. Del Valle moderates the chat and sometimes does a lot of the talking. Unlike several of his other films, Halsey remembers Return of the Fly quite well and has a decent amount to say about it. In English, not subtitled.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:38, upscaled to 1080i) - a cropped and pillarboxed original trailer for Return of the Fly. It hasn't been restored.

• TV Spot (1:03, upscaled to 1080i) - a spot that aired in 1959. Return of the Fly was on a double bill with The Alligator People, which is also teased here.

• Still Gallery (1:51, 1080i) - the first thirteen images display posters (vertical and horizontal) and lobby cards in color of Return of the Fly. The last ten comprise black-and-white glossy photos from Fox's press kit followed by on-set stills.

Return of the Fly Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you own Return of the Fly from the Vincent Price box set five years ago, you'll want to consider getting the new box set so you can enjoy this disc too. While Scream Factory offers largely the same transfer and audio presentation, it includes two new commentaries that are both worth listening to with different quality content. I like the film a little more than Jeff and RECOMMEND it while the disc as a whole receives a VERY SOLID RECOMMENDATION.