The Fly Review

Movie: The Fly
By: Maniac E
Date: May 8, 2011

Terrifying teleport horror with an extra buzz

David Cronenberg is one of the biggest directors in movie history that blends fascination, love, inquisitiveness, science fiction and horror together. Cronenberg picks out his elements from older movies like: Bride of Frankenstein, King Kong, Bram Stoker’s Dracula where a creature deformed gets caught up in doings by others. The Fly is essentially the genetic splicing of his trademark obsessions with these hallowed genre conventions. In making the material his own, the pathos generated by Cronenberg's fusion of elements raises the film's status from mere remake of the campy 1958 original to masterpiece

The Fly is a great science fiction thriller that brings excitement to the screen that the original did not. Even though, yes, it can be a bit much to watch with all that, eew, vomiting for some. I think any true science fiction or horror fan would admit that this is a great movie to watch. I'm not even really sure why I love this movie, it’s has probably something to do with the fine acting and great directors work. Jeff Goldblum plays Seth Brundle, a scientist and meets Veronica played by then wife Geena Davis, she is a journalist trying to find a break-through story that can make her career. Seth interests her with his telepods, only these aren't just any normal telepods, they can transfer things from place to place. Only it has not been perfected to where it can transfer a living creature and Seth offers Veronica or he calls her Ronnie, to stay with him and film what will happen when he perfects it. There Ronnie and Seth fall for each other and begin an affair while trying to perfect the machines.

There is one little past problem of Ronnie's, her ex and boss, Stathis played by John Getz, he wants Ronnie back, but she refuses and continues the project. When she's gone away from Seth, he gets drunk and goes into the telepod not even sure of the results to come, a fly accidentally gets into the machine with him and he telepods successfully! Everything seems fine at first, until a cut he got earlier starts to have tough hair Ronnie notices. When Seth tries to get her into the telepod, she refuses being too scared understandably, he tells her that he'll get another person who'll do it. We notice also that his face is starting to look a little bit more rough, he's only eating sweets, and now has amazing strength. When he scares off another girl as Ronnie warns her "Be afraid, be very afraid", Seth tells Ronnie to leave and never come back.

But now Seth has a bigger problem, he's now losing his body parts and collecting the "Seth Brendel Museum" as he calls it himself, which made me laugh up loud. He is grossly disfigured when he begs Ronnie to come back into his life and help him. He cannot even eat solid foods any more, he has to vomit on it and make it into liquid, Ronnie loves Seth that she continues to see him and get him help. And in this stage of the movie you see how Ronnie puts everything a side and still feels a lot for Seth. When it seems that Seth is first frightened of what the results will be, he starts to embrace it with his amazing strength and ability to crawl on the walls and wants to become Brendal Fly! It's worth a Nobel prize or two don't you think? When Ronnie begs Stathis for help, she shows him some video of what Seth is capable of, she has a new problem, she's pregnant with Seth’s baby! She wants an abortion, but when Seth secretly finds out, he's hurt that she'd want to kill the child and he decides the only cure for him is if he and she(with the baby inside her) get in the telepods together and form the ultimate family of one person!

The Fly succeeds on many levels. Cronenberg has never elicited better performances from his players. Goldblum is sublime in a rare leading role. Davis is also in top form. As a couple, they are so convincing and appealing that one regrets knowing that their love story will soon become a tragic horror movie. As a remake, THE FLY transcends the original, taking it in new directions and exploring its underutilized potential. Whereas the original degenerated into a campy fly hunt, the remake opts for a slow metamorphosis from man to fly that develops as a disease might. This gives Cronenberg time to examine the implications of such a process, meditating upon our fear of disease, death and change. The only thing that is left for me to say is that this is the best Cronenberg movie I’ve seen and I really can recommended this to anyone out there. This is a lot more than just a horror movie, trust me.