Film Review- The Fly 1986

The Fly is a science fiction horror movie written and directed by David Cronenbery in 1986. This quote from film critic Joe Sommerlad explains the film best ‘David Cronenberg's The Fly is that rare thing, a remake that completely surpasses the original.’ This remake of the classic 1958 film had little in common with the original film plot. One of the differences was that in the original film his was punished for playing god where as in this film he was punished for playing with god’s gift. Cronenberg also made the transformation slow like a infection or disease where in the original he turned in a fly automatically. I think that this is what makes the film better than the original because you actually go though the transformation with him and feel his emotions.  

'Though often recognized for being an excellent science fiction and horror film, at its core, the Fly is a romance film.’ There is romance though the remake like the original film but in more depth.  From the beginning the film builds up the love story so much more than the original so that the ending is more intense and getting you second guessing the situation.

In the remake there was a theme running through the film and that was a culture metaphor for Aids/HIV which was a big thing when this film was made. Even though Cronenberg accepted this and his original interpretation was a general analogue of terminal conditions such as cancer. The special effects that were used in the gradual transformation stages of Brundles was how Cronenberg portrayed this and had everyone think about the metaphor. ‘Cronenberg goes all out with this film, taking every opportunity he can come up with to make the audience cringe in their seats.’  

 

The fly is a remake that truly trumps it original and that rarely happens with remakes. This quote from critic Scott McDonald says it all ‘an extraordinarily successful cross-breeding of several genres.’ As he says it has everything you would want in a film a good storyline, romance, a metaphor for what was happen in the 80’s and not forget the gory special effects. For me the film had me grip form beginning to end even though the intense and gruesome ending.