Of course I have seen “The Fly” several times since it came out. My girlfriend had not so we ended up watching this Cronenberg classic. “The Fly” is not as dark and gloomy as “Videodrome” or “Naked Lunch”, but is it nonetheless a somewhat disturbing and still very actual film about experimental science.
Seth Brundle is a scholar experimenting which his self-designed “telepods”. In one of these “pods” he can have his computer decompose its content, send it to the other pod and put it back together. This works perfectly on dead things, but not immediately on living things. Brundle continues to ‘teach’ his computer until he can also transport living things. Of course he also tries this on himself, but when a fly unseen joins Brundle’s transportation, but result is quite unforseen.
Brundle talking to his computer which displays quite a level of artificial intelligence was pretty scifi in 1986, but in several ways it still is. The fact that for us today not everything is science fiction anymore may be the most disturbing part of the film. Storywise “The Fly” is a bit weird. How comes that the result of Brundle’s experiment develops after the proces has taken place? Of course this development allowed Cronenberg to make his gruesome special effects, combine horror and drama and add continues surprise for the viewer. As a film “The Fly” stands firm. Of course everything looks very 1980’ies, but the drama works, the sex-scenes are steamy, Brundle’s situation continues to appeal and of course, there are some gruely scenes.
Indeed, a classic.
