The Fly 1986 review

My Review on The Fly (1986)

This remake of the original 1958 The fly was far better in my opinion. There is more gore and the transformation is made more horrifying as it should be, just like a common house fly which is also a disgusting creature. There is a creepy feel to it as it compares the growth like transformation into a fly with the disease cancer. 'As Brundle slowly turns into a ghastly, mad creature, though - he resembles a decomposing body' (The New York Times). The special effects are made far better than the original and really go flat out with the body horror and gross anatomy, which I like in a film, it gives a sense realism and makes you wonder if this is what would happen if this experiment was real than what was seen in the 1958 film. 'David Cronenberg's remake of the 1958 horror classic The Fly is not for the squeamish' (Variety).

The story of the film is similar to the older version with the use of teleportation pods and a scientist concealing his work from society. Other than being made more gory and horrifying than the original the one difference is that human and fly DNA are genetically fused in this film, where as in the original film body parts where swapped round. 'Rather, this is a film about fusion. That of man and insect' (Time Out London).

Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) is the scientist that is experimenting with teleportation pods and invites Veronica Quaife, (Geena Davis) a journalist into his apartment to show her what he is working on. After attempts to make her story heard and not believed, she ends up assisting him by filming his progress. 

Seth sends a baboon through the teleportation pod in hope that it will make it through, the animal ends up turning inside out. After correcting the problem he tries again with another, which turns out to be a success. He sends himself through, but a fly enters the pod too. He emerges from the pod and appears to look normal and unknown that he has fused with the fly. He eventually starts to change and adopts the fly's physically and emotional abilities. Fingernails, teeth and various other body parts start to drop off as the fly's appearance starts coming through, like a fly he even starts vomiting acid over his food and over the hand and foot of Veronica's previous lover. 

At the end he turns into a creepy half fly half human creature and forces Veronica into one of the pods and he also enters the other pod hoping the both of them will fuse together. She manages to escape with the help of her friend, but Seth continues through with the teleport only to end up being fused with part of the pod itself. He comes out a mangled mess, a part organic, part machine suffering creature. He wishes to be killed and reluctantly Veronica shoots him in the head with a shotgun.