Synopsis:

Does this movie really need an introduction? For those who don't know the story here it goes. Andre' Dulamb (David Hedison, Capt. Crane from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, the series, not the motion picture) is a brilliant scientist who has just completed his work on a disintegrator/integrator teleportation device. Up to now, he has successfully transported inanimate objects like saucers and newspapers. Now he wants to transport a living creature. He tries it with the family cat, Dandelo with horrifying results. Refusing to be swayed, he continues his research and tweaking of his experiments and when he is sure of the result, he plans on sending himself through the teleportation pods. When everything seems in readiness,he enters the pod and keys the final sequence for transmission. The transfer occurs yet, something is terribly wrong! It appears that a fly was in the chamber with Dr. Dulamb and they are now one! In this classic Horror film, the story of the fly is unparalleled and brilliantly told.

THE RETURN OF THE FLY

The sequel to the fly takes place immediately following the events of the fly. Dulamb's son, Philippe' is now grown and attempting to follow in his father's scientific footsteps. With stern reproach from his uncle, Vincent Price, Philippe' starts out on a course that will lead him into the very madness his father mistakenly embraced. With the assistance of a shifty assistant, Philippe' sets up shop in his grandfather's basement and begins to reconstruct the laboratory of his father. Step by step, his experiments mirror those of his father's. With nothing but success he presses ever close to the ultimate objective of human teleportation. All seems to be going well for Philippe' until, his assistant shows his true colors and maliciously recreates Philippe's father's mistake in chilling detail. In a race against time, Francois (Price) must reassemble the tools of his brother's research in an attempt to save his nephew from the fate his brother suffered. If he is successful, The Return of the Fly will close the book on this page of horrifying scientific research.

Audio:

The audio is listed as Stereo Surround however; I found it to be a stereo presentation at best. There were no surround effects and the sub was never in use. The audio as presented however did adequately portray the textures of the film and conveyed a decent aural atmosphere in which to enjoy both movies. Both films had the same audio presentation and both were very enjoyable.

Video:

The Fly is presented in a beautiful widescreen color transfer that is incredibly rich in detail. The colors are striking and bold. The red in Vincent Price's smoking jacket at the start of the film is in a word …luxuriant. There were a few flecks here and they're as well as a scratch and the occasional hair but, the presentation is still magnificent given the film's age. The Return of the Fly on the other hand was shot in B&W. For what reason, I could never tell you. It definitely took away from the presentation. While the Black and White contrast was sharp, it paled (no pun intended) in comparison to the incredibly rich colors of The Fly. The transfer errors noted in the fly are the same as those found in the Return of the fly.

Extras:

The extras for the Fly and the Return of the Fly are trailers for Fox Video/DVD's double feature discs: The Fly/Return of the Fly, The Fly-1986/The Fly II and The Fantastic Voyage/Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. None of the trailers are in great condition, with the source material looking like 2nd generation VHS in most of the cases. In any event it's pretty cool to have the trailers on the disc.

Overall:

The Fly is a classic Sci-Fi/horror tale! With Vincent Price, David Edison, Herbert Marshall as Inspector Charasse and Patricia Owens, the story is told in a way that not only holds your attention but pulls the viewer into the thick of the action. Unlike its 1986 remake, The Fly relied on imagination and savvy storytelling to get its point across. Put simply, The Fly is classic Sci-Fi/horror at it's best! After all, Vincent Price is the King when it comes to this genre! The Return of the Fly was a sequel that could have been world's better. The acting is wooden and not at all believable. The story is fairly lame and the make up…unbelievable. In the first film, his head was proportionate to his body (the fly, that is.) In the second film, his head is like the size of 10 human heads! He'd be top heavy and would fall over most of the time, I'd think with a head that size. It's really an attempt to improve upon a classic and that is never an easy task and generally a disappointment when tried. As much as I love Vincent Price, his wonderful presence couldn't save the sequel. Since both are on the same disc it's highly recommended but only because of The Fly. Separately-The Fly-Highly Recommended/The Return of the Fly-Skip it