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That is part of the rationalization and subtle warning that Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) throws at his girlfriend Veronica (Geena Davis) as his transformation into a fly begins. You see, Brundle has been working on teleportation. Until one night, a fly got into the transmitter pod when he was testing it himself for the first time and, in his own words, "the computer got confused... and it decided to splice us together. It mated us, me and the fly".
The Fly starts as a bit of an eccentric, steamy romance as Seth and Veronica meet and fall in love. But then it all quickly devolves as he tests the teleportation device himself in a night of drunken jealousy. At first, this results in superhuman agility and stamina, but then it turns into physical deformation and aggressiveness. Hence, the "subtle warning" above. Seth is recognizing that there is "more insect" in him than there is "human".
This is a film I've seen a bunch of times, but I revisited it in preparation for a podcast guest appearance. It's amazing what time does to our perspective on a film. Whereas I used to see this as an icky, goop-fest when I was a teen, now I see it more as a tragic drama about change and death. Sure, there's gore, but there's also a lot of subtext here on how a terminal illness can affect and consume a person, and by consequence his/her loved ones.
All this tragedy is successfully carried by the performances of Goldblum and Davis. Although the relationship does feel a bit rushed in the beginning, they do have a lot of chemistry, and Davis in particular, carries a lot of the emotional weight of the film. She is perfect at transmitting the suffering that a person might feel by seeing a loved one slowly decay in front of you.
There is also the role of Stathis Borans (John Getz), Davis' boss and jealous ex-boyfriend. This is an interesting character, more because of how the writers didn't seem to know what to do with him than for anything else. Borans is a creep and a sleazy douchebag that somehow ends up as a bit of an anti-hero in the last act. However, that shift is not that well executed. I would've appreciated it if the writers had polished the character a bit.
Regardless of that, it is Goldblum and Davis the ones that make this work; along with Cronenberg's direction and Chris Walas' amazing special effects. Despite my issues with Stathis' character and a bit of a shaky second act, the film successfully walks that line between solid thrills, shocking gore, and emotional drama. Unlike Brundle's machine, which decided to favor the fly over the human, Cronenberg does maintain that healthy balance.
Grade:
THE FLY
(1986, Cronenberg)
(1986, Cronenberg)
"I'm saying I - I'm an insect who dreamt he was a man and loved it. But now the dream is over... and the insect is awake."
That is part of the rationalization and subtle warning that Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) throws at his girlfriend Veronica (Geena Davis) as his transformation into a fly begins. You see, Brundle has been working on teleportation. Until one night, a fly got into the transmitter pod when he was testing it himself for the first time and, in his own words, "the computer got confused... and it decided to splice us together. It mated us, me and the fly".
The Fly starts as a bit of an eccentric, steamy romance as Seth and Veronica meet and fall in love. But then it all quickly devolves as he tests the teleportation device himself in a night of drunken jealousy. At first, this results in superhuman agility and stamina, but then it turns into physical deformation and aggressiveness. Hence, the "subtle warning" above. Seth is recognizing that there is "more insect" in him than there is "human".
This is a film I've seen a bunch of times, but I revisited it in preparation for a podcast guest appearance. It's amazing what time does to our perspective on a film. Whereas I used to see this as an icky, goop-fest when I was a teen, now I see it more as a tragic drama about change and death. Sure, there's gore, but there's also a lot of subtext here on how a terminal illness can affect and consume a person, and by consequence his/her loved ones.
All this tragedy is successfully carried by the performances of Goldblum and Davis. Although the relationship does feel a bit rushed in the beginning, they do have a lot of chemistry, and Davis in particular, carries a lot of the emotional weight of the film. She is perfect at transmitting the suffering that a person might feel by seeing a loved one slowly decay in front of you.
There is also the role of Stathis Borans (John Getz), Davis' boss and jealous ex-boyfriend. This is an interesting character, more because of how the writers didn't seem to know what to do with him than for anything else. Borans is a creep and a sleazy douchebag that somehow ends up as a bit of an anti-hero in the last act. However, that shift is not that well executed. I would've appreciated it if the writers had polished the character a bit.
Regardless of that, it is Goldblum and Davis the ones that make this work; along with Cronenberg's direction and Chris Walas' amazing special effects. Despite my issues with Stathis' character and a bit of a shaky second act, the film successfully walks that line between solid thrills, shocking gore, and emotional drama. Unlike Brundle's machine, which decided to favor the fly over the human, Cronenberg does maintain that healthy balance.
Grade: