My review of David Cronenberg's The Fly (1986)

My review of David Cronenberg's The Fly (1986)



A brilliant scientist named Seth Brundle (played by Jeff Goldblum) who is working on the invention of the century, telepods, which can teleport anyone and anything to anywhere. A journalist named Veronica (Geena Davis) gets the scoop for her boss Stathis (John Getz) about the project he's working on as she falls for Brundle. Sparks fly between them and trying to successfully experiment with the telepods despite failures at first then succeeded with other things. While experimenting with himself in a telepod, a fly gets in their with him and accidentally teleports him with the fly as their molecules merge as he's transforming into a hideous monstrosity that is mutating every week. He wants help to become human again.



A remake of the 1958 campy Sci-fi film which the original was a box office surprise then sequels started as it was diminishing returns. This remake idea began in the early 80s after the success of American Werewolf in London and The Howling after Brooksfilms was impressed by the transformation, make up and animatronics technology in those movies as they thought it can use an update for the times.



Kip Ophman and Charles Edward Pogue thought up of remaking the 1958 movie of doing a fresh approach to it since they saw what The Howling, The Thing, American Werewolf in London and more films saw that make up and animatronic technology on practical effects improved on. They wanted to do a physical transformation take on The Fly (ala Amercan Werewolf) but both he and Cornfeld thought that it would be better to rework the material to focus on a gradual metamorphosis instead of an instantaneous monster.



David Cronenberg was hired after after he failed to get to do the Total Recall project for DEG which later Carolco got rights. Thus he did help co rewright Pough's script and did a different take than the screenplay Pough wrote but left some stuff from Pough there. Chris Walas was hired to do the make up and animatronic creature effects after Fox with Mel Brooks was impressed by his work on Gremlins and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Filming began in Toronto in late 1985 to early 1986 with a summer release of 1986. Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum were cast as Seth Brundle and Veronica.



It opened in theaters wide from Fox and became number one at the box-office for 2 weeks dethroning Aliens and became a box office success and earned critical acclaim and awards as it's one of the most beloved Sci-fi and horror films around.



With terrific performances, good direction, quality slimy special effects, make up and animatronics by Chris Walas that are very impressive still to this day, nice pacing, superb script that has some dark comedy with drama and horror in it, Memorable quotes, a good love story and a powerful ending makes this one of the greatest sci-fi and horror films of the 80s. I first saw it when i was 5 on video back in 87 with my big brothers and shocked me! then i saw it again at age 10 and been one of my fave sci-fi movies.



The blu-ray from Scream Factory on the boxset has decent PQ and sound but nice boatload of extras from commentaries, interviews, deleted scenes, trailers/TV spots, poster-and-still galleries, behind the scenes material and more.



My rating: five out of five stars (a classic work of 80s Sci-fi horror)