The Fly (1986) Dir: David Cronenberg
- Ridley Coote
- Dec 21, 2023
- 2 min read
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I am, as a fan of both science fiction and horror - as well as the fusion of the two genres, almost ashamed to say that this was my very first David Cronenberg directed film. The man is renowned for such films as 'Videodrome' and 'Scanners', but this 1986 feature may just be his most acclaimed.
The first port of call is to praise, and highly, the truly great physical effects, which bring to life Cronenberg's wonderfully twisted vision in disgustingly beautiful style. The special effects are easily among the best I've seen, especially for the era. They hardly even look goofy, as some can. They're just brilliant, especially at the end of the film.
The story was way more emotional than I ever expected it would be. It proved to be so much more than a bog standard creature feature. Furthermore, the emotion of the film hit even more powerfully with the heartwrenching score of Howard Shore.
The film seemed to get better and better as the story developed. The beginning had a few cheesy moments, but, rather ironically, the film transforms itself into something so much more vivid and visceral. By the end of the story, the audience is unwaveringly emotionally invested.
Jeff Goldblum, a bit like the film as a whole, starts off a little goofy and flamboyant, but develops into something so much more fascinating and intriguing as a viewing prospect. His performance is such that you very quietly get sucked into what he's doing, meaning that by the end of the film the audience cares hugely about the outcome of the story.
Geena Davis was also terrific in her key supporting role. She was able to bring a depth to her role that was so satisfying to watch, especially in the last thirty to forty minutes of the film, where she truly excelled. I was absolutely swept up into the emotive nature of her performance.
John Getz initially felt a little bit like a tropey 80's villain, but his character and performance evolved into something so much more interesting by the time the film ended. I really appreciated that his character had more layers to him than many any old antagonist.
Overall, with full disclosure, I fully expected a fairly cheesy, but decent 80s creature feature with dated physical effects. What I got was far from it. The film is a phenomenal piece of storytelling and has some truly excellent effects which almost entirely stand up today. I absolutely loved it.
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