The Fly II Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.0

The Fly II Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 31, 2017

Chris Walas' "The Fly II" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Via Vision Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include original studio promotional materials; audio commentary with director Chris Walas and film historian and archivist Bob Burns; deleted scene; archival featurettes; and more. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

It is happening

This quite predictable sequel to David Cronenberg’s horror thriller The Fly was put together very quickly and it easily shows. It basically borrows one half of the original story and then expands it with a couple of new characters that are nowhere near as interesting as Seth Brundle and Veronica Quaife. It is by no means unwatchable, but it is awfully difficult to like.

The film opens with a short prologue in which Veronica gives birth to a baby boy that is immediately placed in a heavily guarded building owned by a giant corporation. Here the baby is closely monitored by a team of scientists interested in his unique genes. Some years later Martin Brundle (Eric Stolz, Killing Zoe) discovers that the scientists are running secret teleportation tests, and much later, after he realizes that there is a good reason why he has spent his entire life in the building, that they were initiated by his late father. While working on the same tests, Brundle then bumps into Beth Logan (Daphne Zuniga, The Sure Thing), a lab assistant, and soon after the two begin dating inside the building. However, their romantic relationship is put on hold after Brundle’s body abruptly begins to mutate.

The structure of the narrative is very similar to that of the original film. In the first half Brundle learns that his life is essentially predetermined and that it is only a matter of time before the mutation cycle destroys him -- or at least the human side of him. A lot of the intelligent observations that are channeled in Cronenberg’s film at approximately the same time, however, are replaced with some pretty trivial exchanges that focus on Brundle’s relationship with the top guy at the corporation (Lee Richardson, Prizzi's Honor). Later on, it is Brundle’s relationship with Beth that becomes the focus of attention and until the mutations begin once again there is plenty of meaningless chatter. All of the exciting material is during the final twenty or so minutes where at last there are some admirable efforts to match the intensity and atmosphere of the original film.

The cold hard truth about this film is that it did not have the right talent to make it great. It is simply that obvious. There is an old audio commentary with Chris Walas that was recorded when the film was initially released on DVD in which he reveals how honored he was to be able to direct it, but his comments also confirm that his vision for the film was very modest. He was looking forward to shoot a conventional horror thriller with a decent amount of action, not a thought-provoking thriller that uses special effects to temporarily force the mind out of its comfort zone.

It is interesting to see that the film credits a couple of big-time writers -- Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption), Jim and Ken Wheat (Pitch Black, Riddick) -- next to Mick Garris. However, Garris probably deserves all the glory.

The Fly II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Chris Walas' The Fly II arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Via Vision Entertainment.

As it was the case with The Fly. an older master was used to source the release, but the end result here is a lot more pleasing. Indeed, delineation and clarity are better, and a lot of the indoor footage also boasts significantly better depth. When there is a good amount of light close-ups, in particular, can look quite good (see screencaptures #5 and 8). Grain is retained and visible throughout the entire film, but because the master has its limitations density isn't optimal. Edge-enhancement is not an issue of concern. Color are stable and for the most part saturation is decent. However, ideally nuances should be expanded, and in some areas it is easy to see that a stronger master will instantly eliminate the light black crush (see screencapture #15). Image stability is good. There are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, or warped/torn frames, but a few tiny dirt specks remain. Ultimately, while The Fly II can also look a bit dated, it actually has much stronger organic qualities than The Fly. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your Blu-ray player or PS3 regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

The Fly II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

The lossless track serves the film quite well, allowing a decent amount of dynamic intensity to open up the action sequences at the end and plenty to support Christopher Young's score. It is possible that adjustments could improve balance and possibly even clarity, but my guess is that they will be cosmetic adjustments at best. The dialog is stable, clean, and easy to follow, but optional subtitles probably should have been included for viewers that need them.

The Fly II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary - the commentary director Chris Walas and Film Historian/Archivist Bob Burns and it initially appeared on the two-disc Collector's Edition DVD release of the Fly II. It is a rather enthusiastic commentary with plenty of information about the shooting of specific sequences and director/cast interactions, as well as the film's final appearance and atmosphere.

• Deleted Scene - in English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Alternate Ending - in English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Theatrical Trailers - two original theatrical trailers for The Fly II. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Documentaries -
  
  1. Transformations: Looking Back at The Fly II - presented here are two archival documentaries that focus on the production history of The Fly II as well as some of the challenges its creators faced while trying to match style and atmosphere of David Cronenberg's original film. Included in it are clips from interviews with director Chris Walas, producer Steven-Charles Jaffe, and others. In English, not subtitled. (49 min).
  
  2. The Fly Papers: The Buzz on Hollywood's Scariest Insect - this lengthy archival documentary examines Hollywood's obsession with insects and the history of the five Fly films. In English, not subtitled. (58 min).

• Featurettes -
  
  1. Storyboard-to-Film Comparisons - featuring an optional audio commentary by director Chris Walas. In English, not subtitled. (8 min).
  
  2. Original The Fly II Featurette (1989) - this is an archival EPK piece that was previously appeared on other DVD releases of the film. In English, not subtitled. (6 min).
  
  3. Film Production Journal - as the title of the featurette reveals, the bulk of the content here focuses on the production history of The Fly II. Also included is plenty of raw footage with special effects tests, with comments by director Chris Walas. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).
  
  4. Composer's Masterclass - composer Christopher Young discusses the tone and atmosphere of The Fly II and the music it required to be as effective as possible. In English, not subtitled. (13 min).

• Still Photo Galleries - presented here are three galleries with original concept art, production stills, and concept art for The Fly II.
  
  1. Art (4 min).
  2. Production (3 min).
  3. Storyboards (2 min).

The Fly II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I did not dislike this film, but I found it impossible to like because it wants to be taken as seriously as David Cronenberg's original film and it is painfully obvious that it lacks the talent to get the job done. Via Vision Entertainment is the first label to bring the film to Blu-ray as part of The Fly: Ultimate Collection five-disc set. The release is sourced from an older master, but The Fly II looks quite a bit better than The Fly, and again there is an excellent selection of archival supplemental features.