The Fly

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: No
Watched With: Jordan

Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid.

This is a classic. A remake that, like Carpenter's The Thing, is generally considered to be a greater film than its original. It has been a long time since I saw the Vincent Price version which I recall even at a young age thinking it came off as a pretty cheesy b-movie monster. SCIENCE GONE WRONG! Well this is essentially the same concept but it's just done in a far more intelligent way, superbly acted and taken seriously every step of the way. The end result is powerful, emotional and horrifying.. It's been far to long since my last Cronenberg film viewing.

Jeff Goldblum. Nuff Said.

Now the film won the oscar for best make-up effects. There is a great deal of work on display here but not all of it holds up as well today. I hope that would be the only reason Cronenberg would consider remaking this film again because the rest of it is perfect. That or he has some other plan in mind. Perhaps the third remake will never come to pass and it was something he was just mulling over while he directed the OPERA VERSION OF THE FLY.

Holy shit if I had a spare $400 and lived in L.A. I'd be seeing that Fly Opera in a heartbeat. It seems like a bizarre idea but watching it again now you can see it has all the elements in place. There's pretty much only one or two locations and three characters. And it's such a heightened emotional story, it's a classic tragic romance. Plus onstage nudity. Dunno if they will have the birth dream sequence though. That would be something to see...

Something else to see... The Fly 2? Anyone? I've never seen it but Eric Stoltz? That's pretty Awesome. And Princess Vespa from Spaceballs? I guess it makes sense considering Mel Brooks had a hand in getting Both Fly pictures made... maybe?

Enough Tangents. Cronenberg's The Fly is a masterpiece. It's a tragic love story that packs an emotional wallop but is also filled with gore and monsters and some very dark themes. And Jeff Goldblum is hilarious to boot. If you've never seen a Cronenberg film I always recommend this as a starting point. Looks great in HD too.