A nearly perfect science fiction/horror drama.

Rating: 9/10 (20 December 2008)

Horror movies put their audience through a lot. They jump and scream, and their heart races throughout. But, unfortunately, what most horror films lack is characters. They don't usually have a big enough heart, and their characters are all expendable. Whether or not this film fits into the category of horror is debatable, but this story is horrific, and dramatic. It tells us about characters we care about, and puts them through hell. It's as much a drama as a horror film, and the mixture of both is impeccable.
Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) is trying to woo magazine reporter Veronica "Ronnie" Quaife (Geena Davis). Brundle has an experiment that he's been working on, so he shows it to her. It's a teleportation device, but it has a few problems, like it's inability to transport living things, and keep them alive. After finally getting it to work, Brundle accidentally, and unknowingly mixes his D.N.A. with a fly's, and soon starts transforming into a monster.
The characters are what this picture is all about. Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis have great chemistry together, and they play off each other well. This film starts off with Goldblum and Davis meeting each other, and the first half of the film is dedicated to showing us these characters. This is quite effective so the we care about what happens during the last half of the movie. The other main character is Stathis Borans (John Getz), and he's the most miraculous character of them all. He's set up as a chauvinist villain, but this movie doesn't give into stereotype that easy. This character, who has some horrible and rude qualities, has a heart and shows that just because a character has bad qualities doesn't mean they have to be the villain.
The direction and writing is good. The scenes looked well thought out, and they could be pretty disturbing. The makeup effects, which won the 1986 Academy Award are very cool. The transformation scenes rival those in 1981's An American Werewolf in London for best disgusting makeup effects of 1980s cinema.
Howard Shore's musical score for this film is amazing. It's grand and bigger than it should be, like the music from the '50s, but it sounds great. It's a perfect mix of a loud brass section and a soft theme on the flute.
This story about a man's transformation into a fly is sad and horrific (with those words being used in the best sense). This is a must see for horror fans.
My rating: *** 1/2 out of ****. 95 mins. R for sexuality, nudity, strong violence, and some language.