Directed by David Cronenberg, The Fly is a modern (for 1986) take on the original story with the grotesque elements from Curse of the Fly thrown into the mix. This time around though our manfly, played by Jeff Goldblum, is a single and solitary scientist cum nerd who lives by himself and is engaged in his work 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Within a few minutes of the opening credits the action begins as he introduces his discovery to a journalist, played by Geena Davis.
Unlike the original films, the science behind the teleportation device is a lot more sound and a lot more realistic. The teleporter pods are connected by wires and run by computers and the explanations on how the science works seem a lot less wishy washy and a lot less fantastical. Another difference is that when Goldblum's genes mix with the fly's genes to become the manfly, he isn't half man half fly but rather a man that slowly turns into a giant manlike fly.
While all the performances in the film are good the film itself is owned and dominated by Goldblum. When we first meet him he is nerdy and weird but likeable. He's skinny and lanky and not quiet sure how to behave socially around women. He bites his nails, he is nervous, he is awkward. When he does teleport himself he does it in a drunken jealous rage and when he comes out he is instatntly different. He is confident and strong. His posture has improved, his body is leaner and more muscular and he is faster and more agile. As he begins to transform into the fly he becomes meaner and more secluded. He becomes evil and uncaring and along with his body, his mind starts to fall apart. Goldblum plays all three parts, the scientists, the newly emerged manfly and the later flyman, if you will, differently. He adds ticks to his body and changes his speech as he begins to degrade. All three incarnations of Seth Brundle (his character name) are completely different to one another and it is all due to Goldblum's amazing performance.
The direction by Cronenberg is superb too. A skilled and veteren director of science fiction and horror and grotesque imagery, Cronenberg stops at nothing to make his version of The Fly as realistic and disturbing and by the end (like the original) as sympathetic as he can. Along with his editor and cinematographer he has captured and created a near perfect looking and near perfectly paced film. Great camera angles and great usage of cuts and in camera effects create a mood of sheer and utter terror.
This is helped by the absolutely magnificent special effects that 27 years later have barely dated at all. The teleporter pods still look good, the degradation of Goldblum looks real and gross, the flyman at the end is still convincingly real, the way he climbs around his apartment on walls and roofs looks unbelievable. Even after watching a making of doc, I still can't fathom how they made it look so seamless.
Then there is the gore. Like I said earlier, some of these images are things that have never escaped my mind from my very early days of my youth. These images are what started me on my life long love of horror movies. The arm wrestling scene, the whole last 15 minutes, the dream sequence and especially the scene where Goldblum's nails fall off. I'm shivering just thinking about it. The gore is realistic and terrifying and one can only imagine things happening exactly as they do in the film if this was to happen in real life.
While this version of The Fly is a science fiction film, it at the same time is a straight up horror film. Like Alien is more a horror film than a science fiction film, so to is The Fly. It's a scary film and gets scarier and eerier as it progresses. And even though it ends sympathetically it is still very much horror till it's final frame. For horror fans I cannot recommend this film enough. Same goes for science fiction fans. For fans of good, clever, original and smart cinema I recommend this film too. It's highly enjoyable, it's nerve racking, it's terrifying and by the end it will leave you, me and anyone else completely satisfied.
The Fly did very well at the box office and a sequel was soon in production. 3 years later it came out but fortunately dear reader, you won't have to wait that long for my thoughts on it. I'll be back soon for The Fly II...
Film Rating: 88%
Breakdown (How The Fly scored 88%):
Production Design: 10 out of 10
Cinematography: 9 out of 10
Re-playability: 9 out of 10
Originality: 8 out of 10
Costumes: 8 out of 10
Directing: 10 out of 10
Editing: 9 out of 10
Acting: 8 out of 10
Music: 8 out of 10
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