Customer Reviews

The Fly /The Fly 2 [VHS]

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

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.

"The Fly" is one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time. Both Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis give excellent preformances, and the film has wonderful direction by David Cronenberg. Being a fan of the orginal fly series ("The Fly" and "The Return Of The Fly"), I was extremely happy to see the remakes. Overall, "The Fly" is a masterpiece that deserves a better treatment than just trailers. It has a great plotline that amazes me after watching this movie many times. You can see why it was given an oscar for make-up. Chris Walas does an amazing job. Very suspenseful and effective. 5 stars.

"The Fly II", although an OK film, does not at all live up to it's predicessor. It has a plotline that barely passes. This is an unnessicary sequel if I have ever seen one. Most of the beginning is dull, although it does have it's moments. Few. As it winds down to the end, it becomes very, very gory. The first Fly remake was gross when Stathis' hand melted off, but this is disgusting. Mostly whan the guy's head blows apart, and whan the guy's head is spat on, resulting in one of the most gory sequences ever shot. Beware. It becomes dependent on the gore. The first film maintained suspense. Even with the gore, "The Fly II" is an OK film in my opinion. Although it lookes like director Chris Walas did all he could with it, I give it 2 stars.

The combination of both films is genus, since I usually go out and buy a film and end up wanting to buy the sequel. I like to complete my colection of a series. The DVD is superior to the VHS in picture as well as sound. Buy it today. This combination on DVD gives a new meaning to the phrase "Be afraid. Be very afraid."

David Cronenberg's The Fly has got to be one of the most powerful films ever made. Too often it gets praised: "good for a horror film.", that is just pure ignorance. The Fly was one of the best films of the 1980's and one of the best films ever made, for few films have the impact this one does.

Jeff Goldblum turns in the performance of his career as Seth Brundle, the brilliant, lonely scientist on the verge of a discovery that will certainly change the world. Geena Davis is also excellent giving a genuine performance as a skeptical reporter who falls for Brundle after he convinces her to check out his invention. What begins as a love story more involving and moving than any other film in the last twenty years, eventually turns to tragedy when Brundle tests his invention on himself and begins to lose all traces of his humanity. Slowly, Seth Brundle is metamorphasizing into a new breed of fly.

What really works about Cronenberg's best film are the superb actors in the leads, a series of gruesome (maybe that's an understatement) yet convincing fx and a wonderful script by Charles Edward Pogue (who also penned the brilliant and complex Psycho III). The script centers on the humanity of the whole thing and never loses sight of the focus, not once. Pogue's script is about two people in love and the tragedy that befalls them, for Brundle does turn into a fly by the finish of the film, but it's all a metaphor for disease. Made in the 1980's when the AIDS virus was still a new and mysterious disease, Cronenberg's gutsy film also tells a story of a man being consumed by a terrible disease for which there is no cure.

The Fly is a flawless film and a real treat for film lovers, horror fans, and those who just want to see a really good movie. It's just about one of the goriest movies you'll ever see, but if you're willing to go along, you won't be sorry and you'll never forget this film.

Since 1986 something has been missing. Every version of this film I have ever seen has had what can only be described as a weak presentation, muted picture and lackluster sound. Since David Cronenberg shoots in 1:1.88 a widescreen version has always been wantedf but not strictly necessary. Fox finally did right by this film. When it came out in the mid 80s this film earned the kinds of reviews that usually were reserved for works like Brazil and Blue Velvet, and now 14 years later we are finally treated to a presentation that is the equal of the subject matter, in a word beautiful. While I admit I've never been a big fan of Mark Irving's cinematography this DVD really shows it off to best effect. I'll admit I'm so happy to finally have this kind of attention given to this movie I almost gave it 5 stars, but even with a 5 star presentation The Fly does deserve more: A commentary, behind the scenes, the cut material David finished but chose to exclude (readers of Cinefex know what I mean), something more than just a preview and the sequel (yes I am considering the sequel to be just a part of the bonus material rather than a seperate presentation it helps me sleep better that way) I mean in a world where Supergirl and Nekromantik get the DVD presentations they've gotten The Fly certainly has earned more of a supplementary section than 20th Century Fox has chosen to provide.

MAN, I hope they release The Fly separately from Fly 2. I lovedGoldblum's Fly, one of the creepiest, most intense horror movies of all time, but the sequel is just trash - why did they have to slap this junk on the same DVD as a classic? Guess I'll wait for the solo Fly, if there is one... (Rating 5 stars for THE FLY, no stars for FLY II= two stars overall)

David Cronenberg masterfully remade "The Fly" into one of the best horror films of the 1980s. Shocking, repulsive, and disturbing, yet a love story, a character study, and a whole lot of social commentary all rolled into one great movie. Jeff Goldblum is in top form as the mad scientist. Geena Davis is equally effective as his casual girlfriend caught in his "web" of deceit, lies, and terror. Truly scary at times, always thought provoking. The DVD is very plain, and derserves a better treatment all on its own. Now for Part 2, well it simply emphasizes the grossness of the first. Eric Stoltz tries too hard to replicate Goldblum to no avail. The plot is predictable, and basically turns into a typical monster movie from Roger Corman with a big budget. Very lame. Still, the price is well worth it even if you only watch part one.

"The Fly" is simply brilliant, an emotional roller-coaster that takes you on a horrifying trip with Geena Davis as she watches her lover, Seth Brundle (played with great sensitivity by Jeff Goldblum) turn into a fly as the result of a scientific experiment gone awry. Director David Cronenburg does not spare the viewer any more than he does Davis; she and we watch the disintegration, the mutation and, eventually, the death of someone who was once normal, loving, loved.

The film's emotional power lies in the fact that, because she loves him so deeply, Davis' character CANNOT TURN AWAY from Brundle as he transforms into the gooey, pitiful BrundleFly. Because, through Goldbloom's delicate, endearing performance, the audience has come to view Seth Brundle with affection, we, too, are unable to avert our gaze, essentially "abandoning" him to his fate. The pain of both characters is riveting, but ultimately redeemed by the love which doesn't die despite the changes which Brundle experiences.

Made in 1986 when the AIDS crisis was gaining strength, of course one could think of it as an allegorical tale referencing anyone who's watched a loved one die from some horrible disease, such as cancer or AIDS. What makes this film so powerful is that you are involved in the characters' tragedy, just as you would be were you watching a father, mother, lover, sibling transformed outwardly by rot and unnatural change.

When I originally saw this in the theater in '86, I drove about halfway home afterward, then pulled over to the side of the road and burst into tears. I had never had a film have that sort of impact upon me - either before or since.

"Fly II" ... well, it just doesn't even bear mentioning. I'm amazed they put these two films together. Must've been the only way "Fly II" would sell. Don't even bother with it - once you've seen "Fly I", you'll be sadly disappointed and wonder why anyone wasted time and money on this celluloid turkey.

I will restrict my review here to The Fly and not The Fly II simply because these two films do not belong together in terms of quality. And I CERTAINLY will not mention this film in the same breath as the original film The Fly, which was garbage.

The reason that The Fly is a masterpiece is because although it is focused in the world of science fiction, it never loses its grip on the human element. You can feel Seth Brundle's anguish at finally finding love in his life and having it slowly taken from him through his alienating transformation. Geena Davis' pain is equally evident in finally finding the man of her life and watching him slowly dissolve into something increasingly not human. The final scene where he puts the gun to his own head is gut-wrenching. Tears inevitably fall every time I see it.

The musical score is also excellent, bringing the anguish and pain of the drama forward with its recurring theme.

Yes, it's gory. But the special effects are irrelevant in contrast to the tragic drama being played.

See this movie and forget about the others. P.S. be sure to have a lot of Kleenex ready.

I won't bore you with the explainations of these two classic 1980's horror films, we all know that the first remake of The Fly starring Jeff Goldblum was a classic to all of us who grew up in the movie theatres at that time. And sure, it's sequel starring Eric Stoltz wasn't as good as the first, but it did continue that great storyline started in that classic. So why buy this DVD? Simple, you get BOTH full-length movies on one disc for just the price of one! If you collect horror DVD's like I do, you gotta have that Fly! Do you remember when Seth's ear fell off? Of course you do. Or how about when the baboon came out on the other side inside-out? Ewww! And even the sequel has it's moments too, if you saw the dog scene, you'll remember. Now I must warn you, this disc doesn't have alot of extra features like a David Cronenberg/Cast commentary or a behind-the-scenes documentary, but it makes up for that with both films in a remastered visual as well as a 5.1 audio which really sounds incredible! So, if you want to see when horror movies had class with a great storyline AND you want the best bang for your buck, this collection of the Fly movies is buzzin' around just for you. So don't be afraid, be VERY afraid if you miss this one (or two, when you count it as two movies!)!

First, it is almost criminal that FOX did not give THE FLY the same attention to detail that a majority of their other titles have been given. There is no commentary, no additional scenes, no background or added material to go with this disc... but, that aside, it still is a fine disc and a solid movie. The only addtional extra's you will get with this double feature are six previews (the original FLY and it's sequal, the remakes, and VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA and FANTASTIC VOYAGE - odd choices for this disc, but there you go). It is a double feature, and having both movies at your disposal for the price of one is great. THE FLY is the superior of the two pictures. Solid performances, a more thoughtful script that tackles not only the emotional but the scientific ideas behind the process of transformation. Being a surprise hit, it comes as no surprise that FOX wanted a sequel and got one with THE FLY II (a title which strikes me odd as having no class or imagaination... if you're going to take THE FLY as a title, you might as well take THE RETURN OF THE FLY as well). A under appreciated sequel (I do always take a beating for sticking up for this movie), it lacks the punch of the first, but still has it's moments... although few. The creature effects are very well done, and it dosen't hold back when it comes to the gore at the end. Again, like the original FLY/RETURN OF THE FLY double feature, this too is a worthy addition to your collection... as well as a solid rent. Will FOX do right by THE FLY and give us a true SPECIAL EDITION? Only time will tell...