The Fly (1986)
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The Fly Movie Review
The Fly is a 1986 science fiction horror film directed by David Cronenberg and starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis. It is one of the greatest remakes of all time.
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“Be afraid. Be very afraid“
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Seth, a brilliant scientist, is elated when he successfully manages to teleport himself in his own invention, a transportation machine. But, unbeknownst to him, he was not alone during the process. There was a fly in the machine, so he ends up becoming a fly gradually through one of the most gruesome transformations ever put on screen.
Yes, this movie certainly isn’t for everybody as it is a body horror flick unlike no other. Only ‘The Thing’ can be compared to its gross nature, which says a lot as that one is disgusting. The horror scenes here are undeniably horrible and vomit-inducing, but in a good way as all these moments are backed up by incredible character development and thus a lot of emotion.
You care what happens to Seth Brundle because he is very well developed and exceedingly likable. He’s a swell, charming guy and Jeff Goldblum played him with a lot of panache. This is by far his career-greatest performance, the one where he showed the most range and prowess as an actor. He is still his usual charismatic, endearing and funny self, but here he also got to be vulnerable and that led to many beautifully acting and highly tragic scenes in the third act.
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I also really liked Geena Davis in this film. This is one of her earlier roles and she killed it. She is this journalist who at first seems a bit too professional and cold, but later on she shows her warm side and the romance that develops between the two is just wonderful. A lot has been said about the strengths of this film, but the romantic elements need to be emphasized more as The Fly truly acts as a love story that elevates its disgusting parts.
The worst part of the movie is the Stathis Borans character. I did not care for him in the slightest and he was that typical bad boyfriend personality as seen in so many of these 80s movies, thus he proved to be unnecessary. Yes, the previous version of the screenplay included even more characters and entangled subplots, but I personally would have gotten rid of this one as well as the story is and should be all about Veronica and Seth.
This 1986 film is a remake of the 1958 original that was solid for its time, but a bit too campy for today. The remake does everything that a remake should do – improve the film visually, but also elevate it thematically as the first movie was just solid and it was a perfect fodder for this treatment. The science fiction elements are excellent and believable as the computer was very well utilized into the proceedings and the whole process was well explained.
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The Fly has one of the best VFX of the eighties as it has stood the test of time gloriously. It rightfully won an Oscar for makeup as the protagonist looks terrific in all of his forms. The score is also great and the whole movie is beautifully shot and directed. It’s just one of the smoothest, most timeless films from its decade and one of the genre classics.
