The Fly

I've seen THE FLY three times now, each and every time wanting to like it, and each and every time finding it to be a complete failure. I love Cronenberg, but every once in a while I think he gives too much credence to one of his subjects. This was true of his MADAME BUTTERFLY, where Cronenberg let the man in drag eat up every scene, letting him linger under the camera for so long that it became uncomfortable. I think he's created a similar monster here. In THE FLY, an antisocial scientist named Seth Brundle has created a teleportation machine. He shows it off to a reporter named Veronica (Geena Davis) at a party, and as he becomes more obsessed with his work, she becomes his accomplice in a shady scientific venture. The original, and great, 50's version was about how some men who seem normal hide their secrets in their houses, but Cronenberg's film is about a man whose life is consumed by these secrets, and how he could never be meant to have a real life, or a real relationship. The 50's version has evil consume a family, but in Cronenberg's version, only Seth Brundle in consumed. I think this is what makes it so much less dramatic, and sort of obvious, as Seth Brundle makes a grave miscalculation and teleports himself after a fly flew into the device with him. After becoming spliced with the fly, Cronenberg sort of lets go of the film, and lets the makeup department take over. Everything becomes obvious, and we know what will eventually happen to Brundle.

★★ out of Five