The Fly opens so suddenly and so efficiently that I'm surprised that not a lot of films have tried to emulate it.

Rating: 9/10 (17 February 2020)

It's very effective. And this kind of paring down to what is essentially a three character play, evidenced in the excising of several melodramatic and cliche deleted scenes, leaves a lean, clean tragic character based dramatic horror.
Goldblum plays easily one of his best roles, a buff, likeable and charming scientist, a refreshing change to the nerd introvert scientist that is quite a widespread accepted sort of prejudiced cliche to this day. Geena Davis is a bit wavy but she has an infectious ease and some real standout punchy believable moments.
The emphasis on building character makes for lovely little moments of intimacy; the scene in the market with the jewellery callback where he tells her he loves her is a particularly memorable moment.
Cronenberg places his leads in scenes and environments that feel very realistic and believable, the bar, the diner, the Party, it all helps sell the realism inbetween the gonzo parts. Especially the close ups of these well lit characters that sets these interesting people on their stage.
The slow transition,the way the fly comes in and Goldblum transforms, is almost a thing of beauty. It's Masterful, this sort of sad, smart homunculus emerges. With rip roaring effects, Cronenberg's typical steady eye and some brilliant music, The Fly is clearly a classic that holds up completely.
It's got its share of problems; The accelerated romance between leads is symptomatic of those cut scenes. And we spend way too much time with that smug irredeemable yuppie sex pest for ages.
So the economical theatre feel makes the film easy to rewatch but also makes the work feel slight, with no real reason to go reaching for it regularly. But I can imagine this film working well with a crowd or at a horror film festival.