ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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One worthwhile orginal movie, one pretty good seque, and one not-so gopd sequel

It took Hollywood decades to finally realize that if they made a good movie, a good sequel could be a guaranteed success! All they had to do was keep the quality up for the second one.
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The Fly (1986)

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This remake of the fifties sf/horror version is Cronenberg's own masterpiece of horror. Sure, he had original, unusual ideas before this (The Brood in '79; Videodrome in '83,etc.) and branched out into other genres after this, so it's odd that a remake is his ultimate effort.

But it's here that all the elements of horror came together in a nearly perfect mix.

Many of the scenes, particularly in the 2nd half, are uncomfortable to watch, and this may be why many viewers do not rate this film higher — it's just too disturbing to view. A lot of this has to do with the likability of the two main characters, played by Jeff Goldblum & Geena Davis.

Goldblum as Brundle especially comes across as a slightly goofy, harmless eccentric in the early scenes. His charm works on Davis and also on the audience. We certainly don't want anything bad to happen to him. But you already get that sense of dread very early, when he first unveils his macabre-looking pod teleporters. You sense he has some bad times ahead of him — you just don't know how bad. The horror is so effective because it gets really, really bad — just so much worse than you could have ever imagined.



The other aspect to the story, the progress represented by a scientific breakthrough, is another element which, rather than a potential science fiction premise, becomes subverted into a tragedy of horror.

Usually, a concept such as teleportation, successfully accomplished, is cause for celebration (see the Star Trek series & films for a brighter version of such technology). Here, progress such as this should probably be avoided at any cost.

But, the real tragedy is Brundle's horrific bad luck, falling prey to his human failings, notably impatience. If only he'd waited another day. If only he noticed that fly. If only he'd placed some safeguard to prevent his machine from performing a function it was not intended for.

The machinery here becomes a dispassionate godlike creator of monsters; the machine is not so much demonic as remorseless and unfeeling. It's a most disquieting argument against the supposed benefits of escalating technology.

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Or maybe it should be termed evolving technology. Brundle's rapid evolution after he first steps into the teleporter touches on some of the most primal fears associated with modern mankind: death and disease.

We watch him seemingly devolve after he first voices our primary concern ("Am I dying?"). A cancer-like affliction cripples him, and it looks like he'll fall apart into nothing. Only later do we realize this was only a transitory step and further horrors await our eyes as Brundle changes, changes.

By this point, many viewers may want to turn away or turn it off. It's really slow death we're seeing and, unless one has sadistic tendencies, there is no compelling reason to watch. Well, unless it's to feel grateful we will never fall victim to something like this.

Or will we?

BoG's Score: 9 out of 10

__________________ The Fly (1986) - Ending


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_____________ The Fly - Deleted Baboon Scene


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BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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The Fly II (1989)

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Sequel to Cronenberg's The Fly (86), but without Cronenberg or Jeff Goldblum, who (as Seth Brundle) was finally killed in the previous film's climax. The only one who returns is the character played by John Getz, minus a hand and a foot.

Brundle's girlfriend (played by Geena Davis in the previous film) was revealed as pregnant in the older film's final act, but her attempted abortion had been interrupted. In the first scene here, the prologue, it's revealed that she did give birth, dying during the event, and this sequel focuses on Brundle's offspring, played by Eric Stoltz.

He grows to young adulthood in only five years, indicating that he is some kind of mutant, looking like a human on the surface but also carrying insect genes. He is cared for by the corporation which financed the deceased Brundle's research, a sinister company headed by Lee Richardson.

Since Stoltz, as Martin Brundle, also inherited his father's genius, he also works for the corporation in perfecting the teleportation technology, as well as seeking to undo the defect of his projected short lifespan.

________________ The Fly II (1989) - Trailer


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Daphne Zuniga plays another employee of the corporation and soon the latest Brundle love interest.

Eventually, the young Brundle starts to mutate further, until he resembles the monster that his father became.

The final act has him in conflict with the corporation's armed security force and it all ends on a surprisingly positive note, after a series of grotesque incidents.

Rather than conveying true horror like the previous film, this one is more about repulsing and disgusting the audience with some shock effects and gruesome deaths. There's also a dog which Brundle takes a liking to and which ends up very badly in one of the experiments — so, take warning all dog lovers, this may not be for you.

Getz makes the most of the prologue and his one later scene, injecting some dark humor. Despite the positive conclusion, there's also a macabre epilogue which shows the comeuppance of the main bad guy, a darkly ironic turn of events.

BoG's Score: 5.5 out of 10



BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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Robocop 2 (1990)





This is the sequel to the 1987 Robocop.

Famous comic book writer/artist Frank Miller (Daredevil and The Dark Knight Returns) contributed the screenplay, emphasizing dark satire, mostly in regards to child criminals.

As before, crime is out of control in the environment of this near-future, and Robocop (Peter Weller reprising) has his mechanical hands full, still teamed with Nancy Allen as officer Lewis. Also back is Dan O'Herlihy as the head of the ambitious corporation OCP, which now owns the whole city government, not just the police force.

The new criminal is Cain (the usually creepy Tom Noonan), a radical drug dealer whose brain ends up in the body of a super robot (also perhaps the actual 2nd Robocop referenced in the title). Another one is Hob (Gabriel Damon), a kid who is more ruthless and more sharp than all the other criminals.

This aims for the same dark comedy as the first film, but it's much less elegant and simply crude in its efforts, which is a surprise considering the director. I figured Irwin Kershner would have tempered the usual extremes employed by Paul Verhoeven.

There was one more in the film series, the delayed Robocop 3 in 1993, without Weller, followed by a short-lived TV series. Then, a remake in 2014.

BoG's Score: 6 out of 10

_______________ RoboCop 2 - Official® Trailer


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BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)