a driven, relentless horror show with heart...

Rating: 7/10 (2 February 2006)

Long before the business of remaking old scare films became an industry unto itself, David Cronenberg (then-author of "The Brood" and "Scanners," among other low-budget shockers) took a 1950s B movie and (literally) transformed it into a relevant and compelling horror film. Now, I'll admit that I have never been a big fan of "The Fly," and always viewed it as one of Cronenberg's more underwhelming efforts--an FX spectacular starring then-lovers Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis--but upon recent inspection, was taken aback by its terror, romance, and tragedy. While most of his films are marked by a cold, detached tone, Cronenberg finds a classical despair within the characters of Seth Brundle (Goldblum), a fidgety scientist who invents a teleportation device, and Veronica (Davis), a reporter for a scientific journal who follows his progress. In a fit of jealousy one evening, Brundle--who has only recently met with success in teleporting a living ape--steps into the pod-like contraption, unaware that a housefly is trapped inside with him; afterward, he exhibits an abnormally stunning physical range, and undergoes a transformation that is truly horrific (Cronenberg, with the assistance of makeup artist Chris Walas, spares us no small detail). "The Fly," like "The Phantom of the Opera" and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," shows us a monster who is reduced to a grotesque (and in the case of Brundle, inhuman) appearance, while still endowed with the bare instincts of love, morality, and fear; under increasingly heavy makeup, Goldblum retains his trademark sardonic wit, but it connects with a plaintive sorrow that is truly affecting. The chemistry he and Davis share is something truly rare in the horror genre, which gives "The Fly" its transcendent tone; Cronenberg offers a story with humanity, jelled with a metaphor of human decay, and brilliant special effects that assist in bringing this fantastic tale to life. Well done.