The Fly (1986)

Starring Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz
Directed by David Cronenberg
Science Fiction/ Horror
Rated R: Violence, Gore, Frightening Images

I remember when I first saw the original “The Fly”. I was visiting my parents around New Year’s and I had just finished the movie when my mom came in the room and looked at the box for the DVD and said to me; “I don’t know how you can stand to watch that creepy stuff.” Well if she thinks a guy in a rubber fly mask is creepy than I hope by all that I hold holy that she never sees this remake.

The film introduces us to a reclusive scientist Dr. Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) talking to journalist Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) about his latest invention, Telepods, which are capable to teleporting, an object from one pod to another and offers her the opportunity to follow his progress exclusively, which she excepts, as the two slowly begin to fall in love. Conflict arises when Veronica’s editor, Stathis Borans (John Getz) threatens to reveal the telepods prematurely, leading Seth to jump the gun and test it on himself, not knowing that a common housefly got into the telepod with him, and together the two were merged and Seth and Vernoica slowly realize that Seth is morphing into a monster.

It is interesting to note how much like the remake of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (which also starred Jeff Goldblum) there is a shift in tone. The original “The Fly” was more focused on suspense, with the mystery sequence and the narrative told through voice over and flashbacks. Here the focus is more on horror, specifically Cronenberg’s signature style of body horror. Unlike the original Fly, the change from man to monster is gradual, forming a path in our head (aided by Goldblum’s unique tics) that helps us remember that this is the same man we’ve seen since the start of the film, regardless of how heavy or complex the makeup gets, especially helpful since the Goldblum’s makeup changes every time we see him. This is also what makes the scares so effective. When we see Seth’s fingernails break off or vomit corrosive acid or when his head quite literally collapses, it’s not shocking just because of what we see, its shocking because we’ve come to identify with his character and can empathize with his plight. The emphasis here is on “showing” as much as they could to iron out the instances of “telling” from the original.

The score by Howard Shore is absolutely fantastic, big and booming, accentuating the excitement and tension. Despite over two decades of technology, the animatronics still look incredible and help add a layer of realism to the situations, expect when they needed something to wringle, like with the dying baboon or the maggot baby, in instances like those it was apparent that it was operated by some kind of motor, but still impressive none the less. The film doesn’t have a “happy ending” coda like the original, which irritated me about that film so much, and here the lack one really does serve to pack a mighty wallop as you’re just left there to sit and take it all in while the end credits roll. If there was anything that the original had that I missed in the remake it, would be that “boom-boom” sound the teleporter in the original made that was just so eerie.

Neat little bit of trivia; Director David Cronenberg makes a cameo as the gynecologist who appears in Veronica’s dream. I like that. The director only appears in the story when the laws of reality are blurred, it reminds me of the thought that Alfred Hitchcock put into his own cameos, such as the one in “Rear Window” were he is winding a clock to symbolize how he is the one controlling time.

“The Fly” is a tragedy, pure and simple. Many of Brundle’s mutations serve as parallels for aging, drug addiction, sexually transmitted diseases and terminal illnesses. The acting is great, the pacing is terrific, the score is pulse pounding and the scares are genuinely effective. I will admit it is a not a film for everyone, but it is well executed.

Final Score:

4 1/2 out of 5. Outstanding.

The Fly (1958)

Starring Vincent Price, Patricia Owens, David Hedison

Directed by Kurt Neumann

Science-Fiction/Horror

*Spoilers Ahead*

The film opens with a night watchman witnessing Helene (Patricia Owens) flee from a hydraulic press that has crushed the body of her husband Andre (David Hedison). She confesses to the crime of murder to the police, but something is strange, and her brother-in-law, Francois (Vincent Price), is called in to aid the investigation and we soon learn the horrible truth: Andre has been turned into a half-fly, half-man. There is intrigue with this suspenseful mystery set up as the story slowly comes together. However, I couldn't help but notice something about this film that I'd seen before. It seems that high concept science fiction movies from the fifties they don't seem to have dialogue so much as they feel like the actors are just reading the outline for the story. Vincent Price sounds like he's reading the back of a book jacket and feels rather starchy but manages to make it work with his weighty theatrical presence, giving his character unique motion and diction to make his emotional turmoil seem genuine. With the exception of Patricia Owens, he seemed to be the only "real" person in this movie.

Patricia Owens serves as the emotional centerpiece of the film. She is frightened by her husband's condition but also shows determination in her quest to find the fly need to save his life, leading to an emotional drain that feels very authentic and helps us to understand the "blank" state we find her in at the beginning. Unfortunately, the only time we see Andre is when he is in the lab explaining the teleportation device during flashbacks while Vincent Price takes up most of the screen time and sticks better in our minds. We see Andre's passion to perfect the device, but he makes careless mistakes in testing without pause, question or morals. This doesn't seem in anyway natural or rational, even within the reality we are presented. If Andre had been given some reason for rushing his tests or why he choose to test it on himself, maybe I'd have more sympathy for him. As a result there really isn't any connection made between Andre and The Fly since his transformation occurs off screen. Andre can't talk as The Fly and decides go with the "Star Trek" route of communication (The famed "knock once for yes, twice for no") as well as using his typewriter to tell Helene "I'm losing control". Can you really be losing control if you can actually type it out? Body language isn't used to much of an advantage as Andre just sort of walks around the lab hiding under his hood all the while. The only time he seem sincere and emotional is when he is writing on the chalkboard and his sloppy handwriting shows a loss of

humanity.

The climax is what makes it all worth it though when we see the Andre-Fly stuck in a spider's web. The shot of his face on the fly body is one of the greatest composite shots I have ever seen in a movie. The shot is cleverly cut between shots of an actor in full makeup plasted with an expression of terror. The same of true of the predatory spider; a model mixed with live action shots that build the tension and gives the iconic "Help Me!" scream delivers a horrifying chill while I hold my breath in anticipation, waiting for the inspector to crush the web at the final second. Brilliantly frightening and suspenseful.

Unfortunately there is a tacked on coda in the style of "Bambi", were we get Vincent Price giving Andre's son Phillipe some hackneyed speech about how "Science Is Bad" and "Death isn't a Big Deal." What a load! It really dulls the dramatic tension we had going. Just imagine the impression that would have been left if Vincent Price's "You're as guilty of murder as her", had been the last line of the movie.

Strong acting by two thirds of the headline cast and emphasis on the human element of the monster buoy up what could have easily been just another a typical period monster movie. Suspense and mystery are also key players and serve as an excellent frame for the story, especially with Patricia Owen's detective movie style of flashback narration. Overall there is a very charming "stage play" feel to the whole thing, particularly with the acting and the appearance of the sets.

Final Score:

Three and a half out of Five: Above Average.