Film Review: The Fly (1986)

Seth (Jeff Goldblum) is a genius who owns his own laboratory. He is secretly working on a machine that teleports living things, it allows quick transportation from one place to another. Film The Fly explores what would happen if in the teleporting machine there were two live forms at the same time, in this case human and a fly. The film is a remake of a film with the same name directed by Vincent Price in 1958. The first film tells a story of a man who tests the machine on himself with enthusiasm, but David Cronenberg decided to make the main character make hectic mistake in distress when he thinks that his loverRonnie Quaife (Geena Davis), is seeing her ex fiance (John Getz). Brundle tests the machine when he is under the influence of alcohol, without making sure its safe. In his careless actions he allowed a tiny, non harmful fly inside. Unlike the original, Seth doesnt show any signs of experiment, only after some time Ronnie finds an extraordinary looking hair on his back, and Seth realizes that he posses superhuman strength and agility, which make the whole situation a bit grotesque. Its a dark horror, in every scene David Cronenberg tries to make the audience feel shocked and curious of what is going to happen next, he achieves it with amazing characterization and visual effects. Cronenberg and a script writer Charles Edward Pogue brought few very breath taking and almost horrifying elements like a motif of a mutated child growing in Ronnies womb.

Goldblum who many times played characters of an eccentric genus like in Jurasic Park or Independence Day perfectly fits this role. He gives out the feeling of a mad scientist and gets into his role. Geena Davis is also a very believable actress. Shes experiencing her own nightmare on the screen. Shes confused if something is wrong with Seth or maybe herself. There are few unpalatable and hard to watch scenes, which allowed Cronenberg effectively transform film The Fly (1958) from innocent science-fiction to a bloody horror.

Bibliography: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0168413/ (29/09/2011) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091064/ (29/09/2011) http://www.totalfilm.com/features/11-movie-dream-sequences-explained/page:6 (29/09/2011)