The Fly II

(Chris Walas, USA, 1989)

In 1986, David Cronenberg remade The Fly, a famous B horror film starring Vincent Price. The result surprised many viewers, for Cronenberg opted not for camp parody but pure tragedy – a veritable Bergmanian chamber drama of a man, Seth Brundle (played ingeniously by Jeff Goldblum), crucifying himself on the cross of ultra-rational, man-made science. This figure literally loses his humanity just as he was beginning to discover it. On every level, it is a remarkable film.

Alas, this banal sequel (co-scripted by the mighty assemblage of Mick Garris [Hocus Pocus, 1993], Frank Darabont [The Shawshank Redemption, 1994] and the Wheats) sidesteps all the fascinating and troubling issues raised by Cronenberg. Chris Walas, the effects/make-up wizard from that ’86 milestone (rightly acclaimed and rewarded for his extraordinary work), was promoted into the director’s chair for the reboot.

By casting Eric Stoltz (alongside Daphne Zuniga) as the son of Seth Brundle, The Fly II swiftly becomes a teen movie. It’s a case of Puberty Blues, indeed, as this Boy becomes Fly.

That’s an alright premise in itself, reminiscent of 1950s fantastique cinema. But Stoltz is so innocent and blameless – so pure a victim – that the baddies of the piece, a bunch of evil, exploitative scientists, can be easily targeted and disposed of in the moral calculus of the narrative.

After that, there are no disturbing implications left for the viewer to ponder – which is why this film has been so quickly and justifiably forgotten.

Aside: Shortly after seeing the film in ’89, I noticed a reviewer in print basically copying out Judith Williamson’s excellent 1987 New Statesman piece on Cronenberg’s The Fly (reprinted in her 1993 collection Deadline at Dawn, pp. 133-135, later revisited pp. 230-231) for the sake of their Fly II coverage. Remember, this was pre-Internet, when a conniving journalist might have justly reckoned that few – maybe none – of their neighbouring for-hire scribes would ever consult or recall some old issue of a lefty-socialist magazine from over the seas! Only that wily near-plagiarist – and I – know who they are.

redemption of Walas: The Vagrant

© Adrian Martin 8 October 1991