The Fly / The Fly 2 (Widescreen)

this sequel to "The Fly" isn't all that bad,all things considered.it is
however,more disgusting,believe it or not.a lot of the really gross
stuff was overkill and gratuitous,i thought.in the original,the gross
scenes were sort of necessary to the story.not so in this movie.i also
found the movie to have some slow spots at times,which in my mind,took
away from the flow of the story.as well,this movie had a slicker more
polished look than the original,which i think kind of takes away from
the effect.the acting is not bad,and i liked the direction the story
went.i really liked the ironic ending.i actually almost cheered at
it.if you watch the movie,you'll know why.a word of caution:this movie
is definitely not for the squeamish.despite what i didn't like,i
actually liked the movie more than not.for me,overall,i'd say i liked
this movie as well as the first one.therefore,i give The Fly 2 a 4/5.

Forget about "Fly II", but the classic sci-fi movie "The Fly" is worth watching (about once every five years) as it's a truly romantic story, sensitively realised by Canada's David Cronenerg. "Romantic" actually means "Roman" plus "romain" for novel, plus "roamin'" for "On the Road": what a zesty multimedia stew these ingredients make!

"The Fly", like the wonderful 1957 movie, "The Incredible Shrinking Man", is really about men feeling badly about themselves - old, male lions in the myth-emersed world of postmodern consumerism. The plot line: We men have offended as youngsters, and now we must watch the pride from afar, as outcasts, much like Marlon Brando in "One-Eyed Jacks". And so it is with Seth Brundle. We love Seth because he's (like Cronenberg, I'd guess) the Roy Orbison archetype: weird but sweet. This guy LOVES sugar!

Cronenberg's masterful remake of "The Fly" is, simply put, one of the very best sci-fi movies in recent memory. Much like his "The Dead Zone," it mixes a character's terrifying journey with a powerful love story, and manages to do so successfully. Poor Seth Brundle's transformation is disturbing, suspenseful, and gory indeed, but Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis bring such conviction and sadness to their roles, your heart is pulled along for the ride. The metaphor of watching someone you love succumb to a disease which changes them utterly, is just as shocking as the mutations Brundle's body undergoes. Enough said. This is a great and powerful, albeit sad, movie experience.
"The Fly 2" is far less successful. It's always good to see Eric Stoltz, who is a strong actor with lots of appeal, and although his career has proven that he's not exactly leading man material, he comes close to pulling it off here. But the movie takes the formula from the first movie and screws it up: the gore is heaped on while the love story takes a back seat to it. Daphne Zuniga and Stoltz just don't generate the kind of chemistry and compassion that Goldblum and Davis did. Instead, the movie is basically an F/X vehicle. Once the two pretty young people hit the sack, it's pretty much downhill into head-smashing, face-peeling splatter movie territory. Too bad.
But Cronenberg's movie will live on forever; this two-movie disc is well worth the price for anyone interested in a frightening, suspense-filled human drama which doubles as a pretty darn cool horror show, even if its sequel is vastly inferior.