The Fly (1986)

Plot Outline: A scientist accidentally fuses his atoms with that of a fly during an experiment. Slowly he begins to transform into a fly. Can he find a cure before it's too late?

The Review: It's a decent remake and it's easily better than the original. What the original lacked was some decent special effects and some "meat" to fill up the talky bits, of which there were many. This one does just that. Jeff Goldblum takes over the scientist/fly role and is excellent. This was his breakthrough role and he shows all of his trademark charisma and wit, as well as bringing a certain realism to the role of the scientist. The transformation scenes are intense and full of slime but for seasoned horror veterans this is nothing. Watching Goldblum slowly lose his teeth, gain hairs and such like is quite compulsive viewing, especially as Goldblum knows how to milk his own acting skills to make everything look worse than it is - great physical acting. There is also plenty of gore towards the end but once again, fans of the genre will lap it up. There are some excellent scenes including that sick nightmare and I'll never look at arm wrestling the same again. But what do you expect from David Cronenberg, the man behind such films as Scanners and Videodrome? It also has a decent finale although not as original and memorable as that of the 1958 film. This film builds up the love story element a lot more so the finale seems more poignant than when David Hedison was crushed in the press in the original. You actually sympathise with the fly but his eventual demise lacks the killer punch which the film really needed.

Final Verdict: On the whole, The Fly is a pretty good, engrossing horror film and is one of the very few remakes to better the original. It's a bit overrated but certainly worth a look.

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