The Fly (1986)

Horror film gold is spun in this remake of the 1958 classic, as the gross and terrible is combined with characters that inspire sympathy into a premise that is nothing short of tragic. Jeff Goldblum, not an actor that I typically like, does a great job putting his twist on the spacey science nerd on the brink of discovering something revolutionary.

Goldblum plays Seth Brendle, a young man along the lines of Einstein right down to his fashion decisions, who has found a way to defy the laws of space and time with the means of teleportation. A young luscious reporter, Victoria (played by the ever lovely Geena Davis), discovers the man while sniffing around for a story at a banquet or science fundraiser of some sort, and Seth, desperate for female companionship at some level, reveals more to her about his project than he originally intends.

Bringing her back to the most bachelor of bachelor pads he teleports a very personal belonging of hers via his telepods—black spheres with sliding glass doors which teleport the matter inside of them. Thoroughly astounded she agrees to write a book about him and his process, effectively spending every waking hour with him until he can perfect the machine to send organic life instead of simply inanimate objects (there is a really disgusting experiment gone awry involving a very unfortunate monkey and his innards).

Of course a relationship develops between the two, much to the dismay of Victoria’s obsessive and very slimy ex-boyfriend, and by the time the machines are ready the two have fallen in love. But one fight later Seth, while in a drunken, sullen stupor and home alone, decides to teleport himself. At the last second a fly enters the telepod with him. It results with the computer giving its interpretation of the matter it encapsulated and producing a creature that id human, but spliced with a fly at the genetic level.

The rest of movie the audience gets to squirm in its seat as he slowly and repulsively turns into a giant disfigured monster, able to climb up walls and spit up digestive juices, but for most of the film simply looks like a cancerous mutant. The makeup is brilliant, but it is still Jeff Goldblum that we see beneath it all, and the fear and anger as he loses all that is human to become what he humorously names a "Brendlefly" registers the entire time.

What separates The Fly from other gross-out horror films is that it takes so much time and care to create characters that we love to see in love, and hate to see in pain. We watch in disbelief and sadness as Seth’s fingernails pop out, his ears fall off, and he changes from superhuman, to cripple, and then finally to something barely discernable, more insect than human, and we hate to see it happen. Some characters in films I am either indifferent to their suffering, and sometimes I even with the actors themselves could suffer at the hands of their tormentors simply because I hate their choices or their acting in general, but Goldblum is so likable, so charming, so witty, and so terribly human that that juxtaposition to his appearance is very upsetting. Davis, too, does a great job as the girlfriend confused and frightened by events far beyond her mental capacity, but wishing to help simply because she loves him so.

I liked this movie very much. It held me completely transfixed all of the way until its ending which threw me for a loop. I thought the chemistry between the two actors was very convincing, his degeneration was well paced and believable (even if the science was not), and it is just a really absorbing concept. Everybody likes a good story of the mad scientist who falls victim to his own genius especially when you care about the character as much as you do Seth.

There were three things in this movie that could have made it an all time classic of the transformative, mutant category: 1. I would have liked to see a small bit involving the monkey that successfully made it through the teleportation process perhaps having some slowly emerging fault with his body. This is not absolutely necessary, but it would have added to the foreboding of Seth's own transportation. 2. Victoria's ex-boyfriend needed a serious rewriting. I'm not sure that his character was altogether necessary, but if the writer felt he was, then he should have taken more time to create someone who wasn't simply schmuck 101. Victoria seems to confide in him more than she should so it does not make sense to me that he does not show even a little bit of compassion. When a movie only has three major roles that make up almost the entirety of the dialogue, one poorly written one sticks out like a sore thumb. 3. The ending. It is a sad and disgusting ending fitting to the rest of the tale, but it felt as though the director was hesitant to end it in a way that would take the leap that it should have. Seth, in his final moments of having any Homo sapien qualities left, lays out a plan which I will not spoil, but utterly chilled me to the bone. It was a macabre, grotesque, abominable plan that went beyond right and wrong to something that was entirely evil and driven by desperation. It would have made for the most climactic and terrible ending that one could imagine for an already twisted tale, and I hoped it would happen. A safer route was taken. It was still ironic and metaphorical in its own way and it actually made me grin, but I felt a little cheated.

There is a fourth thing, but it is a little petty and I won't put it down. If you want to know, simply ask and we can discuss it.

My changes are long and might have worked better, but that does by no means negate my statement that I liked this movie and that it is a worthwhile watch. Any horror addicts should certainly get a few shivers from this one.

3/4