David Cronenberg’s 1986 remake of the classic horror flick The Fly is a stunning example of a remake done properly. The movie centres around a scientist named Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) who has developed a teleportation system capable of shifting a physical object from one connected pod to another. Naively he shows this new technology to reporter Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) whom he ends up having a tenuous yet intimate collaboration with due to her insistence on making the tech known publicly. After a drunken binge, poor Seth decides it’s finally time to bite the bullet and teleport himself. This proves disastrous, as it turns out a fly has got into the pod with him and what we see over the course of the movie is a man try to retain his humanity even though it’s biologically being taken away from him.
Firstly whilst the movie can’t get many kudos for originality, it’s story is superbly solid and the characters are interesting. Jeff Goldblum’s quirky and thoughtful portrayal of Seth Brundle brings a good degree of dynamism to the movie when contrasted against the more down to Earth characters of Geena Davis and John Getz. Goldblum deserves a strong thumbs up for managing to capture the fear and helplessness of his character when his transformation starts to kick in. The subtle nuances that he brings really make the transformation believable and really quite unnerving.
Even though the gore is kept to a relative minimum what’s there is really quite grotesque. Cronenberg knows how to make unnerving imagery, anyone who’s seen Videodrome or ExitenZ will know what i mean.
The Fly isn’t really a scary movie, it’s more traumatic that anything else. It may be stretching things a bit far but there is an almost Shakespearean style of tragedy at play in it’s story of the well-to-do scientist, who by no real fault of his own (ok perhaps a little gullible) finds himself in a metaphorical hell. The ending of the movie is genuinely quite sad and working in tandem with Howard Shores musical score is really quite powerful and thought provoking.
For anyone that hasn’t seen this movie yet, do yourself a favour and grab a copy. It is one of the better examples of horror remakes and it’s quite frankly one of Cronenberg’s best, an absolute must see movie!
The Fly is a 1986 American science fiction horror film directed by David Cronenberg. It stars Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz. The film’s plot follows Seth Brundle (Goldblum), a brilliant but eccentric scientist who invents a device that allows him to teleport matter, and Veronica Quaife (Davis), a science journalist who witnesses the transformation of Brundle’s body into that of a fly-like creature.
The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Makeup, and won a Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. It has since become a cult classic.
The Fly is a masterfully crafted film that is both horrifying and thought-provoking. The acting by Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis is top-notch, and the special effects are still impressive today. The film’s themes of science gone wrong, morality, and the fear of change are as relevant today as they were when the film was first released. The Fly is a must-see for any fan of horror or science fiction.
Synopsis
The Fly is a 1986 American science fiction horror film directed by David Cronenberg. It stars Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle, a brilliant but eccentric scientist who attempts to use his newly invented teleportation device on himself, with disastrous results. The film also stars Geena Davis as Veronica Quaife, a journalist who becomes romanticallyinvolved with Brundle, and John Getz as Stathis Borans, Veronica’s editor and rival.
The film’s premise was inspired by George Langelaan’s 1957 short story of the same name, which was published in Playboy magazine. Cronenberg wrote the screenplay with input from Goldblum. The film was produced by Mel Brooks, through his production company Brooksfilms, and distributed by 20th Century Fox.
The Fly was released in the United States on August 15, 1986, to critical acclaim. The film grossed $60 million worldwide, becoming the ninth-highest-grossing film of 1986 in the United States. It won an Academy Award for Best Makeup, which was shared by Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis.
The film opens with a monologue delivered by Brundle (Goldblum) as he works in his laboratory on a device that will “teleport” inanimate objects from one location to another instantaneously. He is confident that he will soon be able to test it on living beings. Brundle meets Veronica Quaife (Davis), a science reporter, at a press conference, and she is immediately attracted to him. After Brundle demonstrates his invention to her, Veronica begins to document his work.
Brundle becomes romantically involved with Veronica, and she becomes his collaborator. They work together on perfecting the teleportation device. One night, after an unsuccessful test on a baboon, Brundle decides to use the device on himself. He does not tell Veronica about this, intending to surprise her with the success of the experiment.
The teleportation does not go as planned, and Brundle is horrified to find that his body has been grotesquely mutated by the process. He initially believes that he can reverse the effects and become human again, but as his condition deteriorates, he realizes that he is slowly becoming a fly-like creature.
Brundle’s transformation is painful and gradual. His physical appearance changes and he starts to exhibit fly-like characteristics, such as vomiting digestive enzymes and regurgitating food. He also becomes more aggressive and violent. As his condition worsens, Brundle realizes that he is losing his human mind and becoming a true fly.
In the film’s climax, Brundle, now completely transformed into a fly-like creature, kidnaps Veronica and takes her to his laboratory. He intends to mate with her, hoping that their offspring will be human. Veronica manages to escape, and she runs to Stathis Borans (Getz), her editor and former lover, for help.
Brundle, now completely transformed into a fly, pursues Veronica. Borans tries to stop him, but Brundle viciously kills him. He then catches up to Veronica, but she manages to kill him with an electrical shock. The film ends with Veronica walking away from the scene, visibly shaken by the ordeal.
Movie Details
Director: David Cronenberg
Writer: David Cronenberg
Actors: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz
Release Year: 1986