Cronenberg is the king of body horror

Rating: 10/10 (7 September 2013)

I first saw this film in July with my father and sister. I knew it was going to get bad. Just how bad, I didn't know. Within the first ten minutes, the shocked reaction of the theatre patrons could be heard, and I knew that what I was watching was one of the scariest films I've ever seen.
The fly is a tragic blend of sci fi, romance and, in typical David Cronenberg fashion, body horror. The story is of Seth Brundle, a young scientist whose experimentations with a newly created teleporter goes horribly, horribly wrong. What follows is one of two things, depending on what kind of audience member you are: either the most amazing display of special and make up effects since the Italian horror classic Zombi, or the most disgusting scenes of body horror ever shown.
The film itself is driven through the central performances of Jeff Golblum and Geena Davis, whose on screen chemistry reflects on their real life relationship, as well as providing some much needed heart to the characters. Goldblum, even when he's under the heaviest extent of makeup, still conveys the heart and conflicting mental state of Seth Brundle, while also showing an eccentricity that blends well with Davis's down to earth portrayal.
Now, there is not a person alive who can talk about this movie without mentioning the incredible special effects. Most Cronenberg films pride themselves on having vomit inducing special effects, but the fly has the most sickening. the various stages of Brundle's decay are really quite hard to watch, but what's worse is the scenes of Brundle discovering his new bodily functions. I wont give too much away, but you'll never want to bite your fingernails after watching.
Though a remake, the fly remains one of the only films that surpasses the original. It adjusts well to time, and, though disgusting in parts, is quite an enjoyable film. If you're planning on watching it any time soon, though, a word of advice: don't eat anything before or during. It'll come back up.