THE FLY. Directed by David Cronenberg; written by Charles Edward Pogue and David Cronenberg; produced by Stuart Cornfeld for Twentieth Century Fox. Starring Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz. Rated R (violence and incredibly gross special effects).
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What is much better than it used to be, has six legs (well, that's practically all) and should definitely not be seen on a full stomach? That's right, it's The Fly, 1986 version.
This movie is so repugnant visually that I can't flat-out recommend it, even though it is also very good. The characters are full-dimensional and sympathetic. The story is exciting, well written, provocative and even occasionally humorous. And the actors are superb, as is the technical end of the production.
But there is graphic violence of a truly shocking nature, and frightening effects that are increasingly disgusting and nauseating. Moviegoers familiar with director Cronenberg's earlier movies (like Scanners and The Brood) may be prepared for what they see here. But I won't urge anyone to see The Fly. I'm glad I saw it. But you might not be.
The earlier Fly was released in 1958 and it fit squarely into the decade's output of campy, melodramatic, science-run-amok movies. It was not even among the top half of these (such as, say Forbidden Planet or the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers). But the basic story was interesting.
A scientist who has developed a prototype teleportation device tests it himself and finds that it works perfectly. Except for one small difficulty. A fly accidentally got into the departure chamber with him. After teleporting, he comes out with a giant fly's head on his shoulders, while his head was miniaturized and attached to the fly's body.
Now this movie was about as frightening as a Saturday morning cartoon—actually, probably less so. But the new version is what the studio calls a "reconceptualization" of the original. And the characters who act it out have been embellished and enhanced. Meticulous modern production design creates an extremely creepy atmosphere. And, of course, there are those state-of-the-art effects.
Brundle (Goldblum) is the new scientist, and he's a nice enough guy at the outset, if a little withdrawn and eccentric. Veronica (Davis) is a science writer interested in Brundle's work, and eventually in Brundle.
These two, along with Getz as Veronica's editor and ex-boyfriend, are virtually the only characters in The Fly. This small cast, along with an equally limited number of locations for the action, add to the movie's claustrophobic, unreal feeling.
The performances, especially Goldblum's, are excellent. The movie's first scenes are somewhat blunt, with Brundle and Veronica not really introduced to us properly. But it doesn't take long for us to begin to care about them. Actually, the first half hour of The Fly is the beginning of a nice little love story.
So the disasters that follow are all the more poignant. We feel for Brundle's misfortune much more deeply than is usual in science fiction movies.
Due to its outstanding effects, and probably also because of its gross-out value, The Fly will likely become a cult classic—if not, perhaps, the more mainstream kind.
But there is more to The Fly than just Brundle pulling off his fingernails and vomiting on his food. I will certainly have trouble forgetting some of the appalling images. But the story and its tragic, all-too-human characters, I expect, will outlast the horror.
NOTE: this movie made my 10-best list for 1986.
September 17, 1986