When he acquires a different kind of show for his station, a sleazy cable-TV programmer begins to see his life and the future of media spin out of control in a terrifying new reality.
The almost-human son of "Brundlefly" searches for a cure to his mutated genes while being monitored by a nefarious corporation that wishes to continue his father's experiments.
After developing an addiction to the substance he uses to kill bugs, an exterminator accidentally kills his wife, and becomes involved in a secret government plot being orchestrated by giant bugs in a port town in North Africa.
Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), a brilliant but eccentric scientist attempts to woo investigative journalist Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) by offering her a scoop on his latest research in the field of matter transportation, which against all the expectations of the scientific establishment have proved successful. Up to a point. Brundle thinks he has ironed out the last problem when he successfully transports a living creature, but when he attempts to teleport himself a fly enters one of the transmission booths, and Brundle finds he is a changed man. This Science-Gone-Mad film is the source of the quotable quote "Be afraid. Be very afraid."Written by
Mark Thompson <mrt@oasis.icl.co.uk>
David Cronenberg met with some opposition when he announced that he wanted to cast Jeff Goldblum in the lead role. The executive at Fox who was supervising the project felt that Goldblum was not a bankable star, and Chris Walas felt that his face would be difficult to work with for the make-up effects. Both, however, deferred to Cronenberg's judgment. Cronenberg himself later had reservations when Goldblum suggested Geena Davis, his girlfriend at the time, for the other lead role, as he did not want to have to work with a real-life couple. Cronenberg was convinced after Davis's first reading that she was right for the role. Producer Stuart Cornfeld suggested that they audition more actresses saying that it's the "script that is brilliant". Cornfeld relented after "nobody else even came close". See more »
Goofs
Every time Seth or any other creature for that matter goes through the teleporter, they're completely naked so as to avoid confusing the computer and introducing more foreign materials. However, at the end of the movie, Brundlefly shoves Veronica into the telepod fully clothed. Whilst the resulting merge of DNA would be human, it would in fact create a worse mutation due to there now being a combination of human, fly and clothing material merged. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Seth Brundle:
What am I working on? Uhh... I'm working on something that will change the world, and human life as we know it.
See more »
Crazy Credits
The background for the opening titles consists of an optically distorted, swirling mass of colors, which gradually transform into the opening shot of the film. This is a representation of how biologists believe a fly's vision would appear to a human. See more »
Alternate Versions
There is a deleted scene of Brundlefly putting the surviving baboon & a cat in the telepod at the same time. The baboon evolves into a catlike creature. This scene is talked about in a book called "Men Makeup & Monsters" by Anthony Timpone. See more »
David Cronenberg redefined what we think of as creepy with this brilliant film. The makeup special effects and grossouts are top notch, but what is most surprising about The Fly is that it turns out to be a very well acted and emotional love story. It greatly surpasses the original '58 version.
The film focuses on the relationship between Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis at the top and once it takes its turn towards horror it really pays off. It's not just scary, it's a tragedy too. Jeff Goldblum is phenomenal. He is mesmerizing as he delivers great dialogue and once he's barely recognizable he still breaks through the makeup and you can feel the human inside. I can't believe he didn't get an Oscar for this, it's easily his best performance.
I can't express how much I love The Fly. It's more than just horror, and it's proof that you just may find a truly great movie where you least expect it.
My rating: 10/10
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David Cronenberg redefined what we think of as creepy with this brilliant film. The makeup special effects and grossouts are top notch, but what is most surprising about The Fly is that it turns out to be a very well acted and emotional love story. It greatly surpasses the original '58 version.
The film focuses on the relationship between Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis at the top and once it takes its turn towards horror it really pays off. It's not just scary, it's a tragedy too. Jeff Goldblum is phenomenal. He is mesmerizing as he delivers great dialogue and once he's barely recognizable he still breaks through the makeup and you can feel the human inside. I can't believe he didn't get an Oscar for this, it's easily his best performance.
I can't express how much I love The Fly. It's more than just horror, and it's proof that you just may find a truly great movie where you least expect it.
My rating: 10/10