Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Fly (1986)’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

I find it utterly fascinating how our society responds to physical transformation as a whole. Because on one hand, we celebrate it like no other. If we see someone buckle down and dedicate themselves to transforming their body into a proverbial temple, we applaud their efforts through and through, letting them know along the way that what they are doing is phenomenal for their body and mind and that they inspire others by dedicating themselves to a healthy cause and that serves as stark contrast, when one thinks of negative transformations.
 
Because those who suddenly gain weight, or see their body altered due to injury or illness are quietly shunned and well, while we can partly attribute that to people just being superficial jackassess, to a certain extent, there’s a primal nature that comes with this as well. After all, despite the achievements we’ve made as a species, we are in fact still animals, and our species shuns those who are not exactly like ‘the herd’ and it also stems from the fact that we are fearful of such changes because to see someone lose control over their body or their mind chills us to our core and all of those negative elements of transformation are explored in great detail in the 1986 horror remake, The Fly.
 
Now, there’s no need to cover the plot to this particular film, because this is quite the iconic remake, one that took the world by storm when it was first released for a great many reasons. First and foremost, it grounded itself in the darkest corners of the horror genre, taking the story to supremely grim places as the movie rolled on and all of that was accomplished by the slow and painful transformation that we watch Seth Brundle undergo in this story. Because minute by minute, his humanity slips away from us and it is heartbreaking to say the least since it’s inherently clear that Brundle is terrified of what’s happening and he uses his scientific mind to try and calm nerves that would shatter if we were in his shoes. 

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​But what makes this transformation so terrifying and so titillating to watch are the gorier elements that this movie sends our way. Because Seth’s transformation into a fly is handled with top notch special effects that hold up incredibly well today and those stomach churning moments simply make you squirm in your seat because they are so surprisingly alien, even though they’re technically part of our world since some of the stuff, like how Brundle eats later on in the story is exactly how a fly handles dinner and I appreciate the fact that the movie uses some semblance of real world science to gross us out, since it reminds us that the world is still a strange place and some creatures do wild things.
 
However, the centerpiece of the story is indeed the theme of transformation and how people respond to it and really, Brundle’s slow and eventual transformation in a giant freakin’ fly serves as quite the allegory when you think about it. Because in many ways, he seems terminally ill as the story progresses and it is heartbreaking to watch Seth and the woman he loves, Veronica, struggle with the end of his human life and well, I think it’s brilliant and subtle to include this into a horror film, since it inadvertently allows for the audience to relate to the characters on a fundamental level.
 
If anything, this really is a magnificent motion picture when all is said and done. It’s visceral, it’s terrifying and it definitely delivers on the scares and really, that’s all thanks to Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis’ performances since their endless talent allows for moments that could turn goofy to remain serious, keeping the audience locked on the screen and when all is said and done, I personally consider this to be Director David Cronenberg’s finest work, simply because this movie is flawless in how it tells its story and if by chance you haven’t seen this one, seek it out and watch it as soon as you can, because this sucker, is a masterpiece.   

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