The Fly

David Cronenberg's "The Fly" has always been one of my favorite sci-fi horror movies ever since watching it as a young teenager. Why? Well, there are multiple reasons for this.

Let's start out with the story. It has a very interesting and disturbing story that deals with different topics without losing focus on the core of the movie. It is a story that deals with scientific issues of teleportation, but it does so in a very believable manner. But it is also the story of an aloof scientist who invents something unique and his downfall into despair and hunger for knowledge and power.

"The Fly" also has good effects, taking into consideration that it is from 1986. Granted that compared with today's technology and possibilities, then it is outdated. But I do believe that the special effects team working on "The Fly" managed to create something that actually still holds its ground even today. The whole transformation from Seth Brundle to Brundlefly is just exceptional, and I mean that both in terms of the special effects and make-up applied to Jeff Goldblum, but also in the way that the character started to behave and the skills he acquired from the transformation.

Then there are some outstanding performances to be witnessed in the movie. First and foremost, it is of course Jeff Goldblum who steals the screen with his enigmatic performance as Seth Brundle. I believe this was also the very first movie I saw him in. His mannerisms, behavior and that twitchy side to him is just right on the nail for this particular role.

There is just something timeless about the story presented in "The Fly" and it is a movie that you can watch over and over. I don't know how many times exactly I have watched it by now, but it is around ten or so.

"The Fly" is definitely a well-worthy addition the to horror genre, and it is an outstanding movie that you should already be familiar with. If you by some strange reason haven't seen "The Fly" already, I can strongly recommend that you take the time to do so.

David Cronenberg redefined what we think of as creepy with this brilliant film. The makeup special effects and grossouts are top notch, but what is most surprising about The Fly is that it turns out to be a very well acted and emotional love story. It greatly surpasses the original '58 version.

The film focuses on the relationship between Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis at the top and once it takes its turn towards horror it really pays off. It's not just scary, it's a tragedy too. Jeff Goldblum is phenomenal. He is mesmerizing as he delivers great dialogue and once he's barely recognizable he still breaks through the makeup and you can feel the human inside. I can't believe he didn't get an Oscar for this, it's easily his best performance.

I can't express how much I love The Fly. It's more than just horror, and it's proof that you just may find a truly great movie where you least expect it.

My rating: 10/10

During the 1980s, horror was rising, with Friday the 13th started the decade with a bang, with sequels, parodies, and ripoffs in its path. Halloween would have a sequel and many more, and Freddy Krueger started a long running franchise by Wes Craven. What the critics really loved was the remakes of horror movies lured to younger audiences who never saw the originals. John Carpenter's The Thing, while it underperformed at the box office, became a favorite on home video and a cult classic. In 1986, director David Cronenberg, who made heads explode in Scanners and made video horror with Videodrome and changed political horror in the film version of The Dead Zone, would take great risks remaking a 1950s b movie classic, The Fly, by casting Jeff Goldblum as the main character and Geena Davis as his love. Coming out the same year as Aliens and produced by Mel Brooks, The Fly became Cron's highest grossing movie ever and spawned a sequel which didn't do well but became a cult classic in its own right and there are talks of another remake, this time with CGI and a bigger budget. Catch it while its on tv and you'll like the practical effects of the movie as well as the memorable music by Howard Shore. Be afraid, be very afraid...

Most science fiction films are big on ideas and special effects, but weak on coherence and character development; most horror films are just the same, except without the ideas. But David Cronenberg's 'The Fly' takes one simple idea, develops it properly, and eschews (its genuinely terrifying) special effects until its truly horrific climax. And by paying some attention to the personalities of its protagonists, it actually makes you care about them (Jeff Goldblum is excellent in the lead role), and adds a level of serious reflection on the very nature of human mortality to the raw shock. The mix amounts to a gruesomely good film.

Why is it this film that will always be his REAL 'breakout', and not any of the others before or since? The truth is, beneath all the biological yucks and makeup (there is plenty of both) lies a strong emotional core. Goldblum is enthusiastically likable as scientist Seth Brundle, and Geena Davis is just how Geena Davis seems to be in real life... sweet. It is how the events change both characters EMOTIONALLY, not physically, that inspires the true horror.

The blending of both the above elements makes this remake appeal simultaneously to the 'gross out' crowd, and those in the mood for a more cerebral horror experience. A concept of B-movie stature, electrified by the skills of A-list talent.