The Fly II is a 1989 American science fiction horror film starring Eric Stoltz and Daphne Zuniga. It was directed by Chris Walas as a sequel to the 1986 Academy Award-winning movie The Fly. Stoltz's character in this sequel is the adult son of Seth Brundle, the scientist-turned-'Brundlefly', played by Jeff Goldblum in the 1986 remake. John Getz was the only actor from the first film to reprise his role.
Plot[]
Several months after the events first film, in which scientist Seth Brundle became a mutant hybrid of man and housefly, Martin Brundle, the son of Seth Brundle and Veronica Quaife, is born. His birth is under the control of Brundle's employer, Anton Bartok, owner of Bartok Industries (which financed Brundle's teleportation experiments). Veronica dies during childbirth, leaving Martin in the custody of Bartok, who plans to exploit his unique condition.
Martin grows up in a clinical environment, and is constantly subjected to studies and tests by uncompassionate scientists. His lifespan is quickly accelerated as a result of his mutant genes, but he also possesses a genius-level intellect, incredible reflexes, and no need for sleep. He knows that he is aging faster than a normal human, but he is unaware of his insect heritage, having been told that his father suffered from the same rapid aging disease that Martin himself is afflicted with.
As Martin grows, Bartok befriends him, amusing him with magic tricks, and tells him that a "magic word" needs to be a secret word that can never be confided to anyone or else it would spoil the magical effect. When Martin is three years old, he has physically aged into a child of around ten. He frequently sneaks out of his quarters. One night he finds a room full of laboratory animals, where he befriends a golden retriever. The next night, he sneaks out again to bring the dog some of his dinner, only to find the animal is missing. Searching for the dog, Martin makes his way into an observation booth overlooking Bay 17, which contains Seth Brundle's two surviving telepods. Bartok's scientists are attempting to replicate Brundle's experiments, and are using the Golden Retriever as a test subject. The teleportation fails, leaving the dog alive but horribly deformed. The mutated animal attacks and maims one of the scientists, and young Martin is horrified by the spectacle.
Two years later, Martin's body has physically matured to that of a twenty year old adult, and his intellect has grown perhaps even faster. On his fifth birthday, Bartok presents Martin with a bungalow on the Bartok facility's property, and offers him the chance to perfect his father's telepods. In the past five years, Bartok and his scientists have not made any progress in getting them to work successfully again after they were damaged on the night Brundle died. Bartok expresses his hope that Martin will be able to finish what his father started, and apologizes for the dog, stating that the animal was quickly put out of its misery after the failed teleportation experiment.
As he begins work on the telepods, Martin befriends Bartok employee Beth Logan. They grow closer together as Martin tries to get the telepods to function correctly. Eventually, Beth invites Martin to a party at Bartok's specimens division. Breaking away from the party, Martin discovers that Bartok lied to him; the mutated dog has been kept alive as a specimen for the past two years. He runs out of the party and later sneaks down to the animal's holding pen. The deformed dog, in terrible pain, still remembers Martin, who ends its misery by euthanizing it with chloroform, which caused Martin much grief. The next day, Bartok asks if Martin is aware of the break-in at the specimen pit. Martin coldly says "No," and Bartok smiles (realizing Martin is lying) as he states that Martin is finally growing up.
Eventually, Martin gets the telepods to function properly (after realizing that it required creative thinking, just as his father had), and he and Beth Logan become lovers. However, he also learns the truth of his father's fate, his own biology, Bartok's motives, and of a possible cure to his condition. Unfortunately, the cure, which involves swapping out Martin's insect genes for healthy human genes, requires the sacrifice of another healthy human being, who will in turn suffer a grotesque genetic fate as a result.
At this time, however, Martin's dormant insect genes awaken and the signs of his transformation begin. Martin escapes from Bartok Industries after Bartok reveals his plans--Bartok intends to use Martin's unique biology and the telepods for his own corrupt ends of power and control. Even though Martin had successfully repaired the telepods, Bartok is unable to use them as Martin has installed a password along with a computer virus attached, which will erase the Telepods' programming if the wrong "magic word" is entered. Bartok knows Martin had indeed been listening to him when he was a child, and that they will never figure out the "magic word" without him.
Martin and Beth flee and go on the run. They go to visit Stathis Borans (who's become a reclusive, embittered drunk since Veronica died in childbirth), who confirms to Martin that the telepods are his only chance for a cure. Martin and Beth take Borans' Jeep and check into a motel, but Martin's physical and emotional changes become too much for Beth to handle, and she surrenders them both to Bartok in desperation. Before Martin becomes fully enveloped within a cocoon, Bartok tries to get him to reveal the password, but Martin refuses.
As Martin enters the final stages of his transformation, Beth is brought to Bay 17, where Bartok interrogates her about the "magic word." Meanwhile, the fully transformed "Martinfly" emerges from his cocoon and ruthlessly stalks and kills those trying to subdue him, as well as taking revenge on his betrayers. Despite the brutal methods he uses to eliminate the security team dispatched to recapture him, a trace of Martin's former humanity remains, as demonstrated by his refusal to harm a rottweiler that was sent to sniff him out (most likely due to a sympathy for dogs after the golden retriever incident).
After arriving in Bay 17, Martinfly grabs Bartok, types in the password "DAD," and forces himself and Bartok into telepod 1, gesturing for Beth to activate the gene-swapping sequence. Despite Bartok's pleas for mercy, Beth activates the sequence, and when the two are reintegrated in the receiving telepod, Martin is restored to his fully human form, his fly genes now removed from his body, and Bartok suffers the fate of becoming a freakish monster himself. In an ironic twist, in the final scene the mutated Bartok is placed in the same specimen pit where he had kept the mutated dog. In the final shot, Bartox sees a fly land on his bowl and stares at it.
Cast[]
- Eric Stoltz as Martin Brundle
- Daphne Zuniga as Beth Logan
- Lee Richardson as Anton Bartok
- John Getz as Stathis Borans
- Frank C. Turner as Shepard
- Ann Marie Lee as Jainway
- Garry Chalk as Scorby
- Jerry Wasserman as Simms
- Lorena Gale as Woman
- Jeff Goldblum (uncredited archive footage) as Seth Brundle
Home media[]
This was released on VHS by CBS/FOX Home Video in July 17, 1989. This was released on DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in August 22, 2000 from double feature at double sided disc "The Fly". This was released on VHS by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in October 13, 2003 from two video cassettes double feature "The Fly". This was released on DVD by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in October 4, 2005 collector's edition two disc, DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, from deleted scenes, audio commentary with director Chris Walas, audio commentary interview Eric Stoltz. This was released on Blu-ray by Shout Factory (Scream Factory) in December 10, 2019 "The Fly Collection".
Videos[]
