Of Robert Scucci
| Published
Jeff Goldblum’s Dr. Ian Malcolm famously said, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn’t stop to think whether they should do it,” in 1993. Jurassic Park. Tragically, this was not a message that Seth Brundle was yet aware of in 1986 The fly because his commitment to science in David Cronenberg’s masterpiece doesn’t echo that sentiment at all. A scary post about technological abuse and the dangers of uncontrolled experimentation, The fly is a body horror classic from a genre master. It’s not for the faint of heart, but all sci-fi horror fans owe it to themselves to see it at least once.
It’s easy to understand why critics at the time reveled The fly storytelling and cinematography, with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert ranking it in their top 10 and top 20 films of 1986, respectively. It’s raw, disturbing and brutally clear about how quickly an experiment can go wrong, with no way to retract once the damage is done, making for an intense and visceral viewing experience.
The obsession quickly takes hold
The fly revolves around Seth Brundle, a scientist consumed by his evolving telepod technology. At first, Seth can only teleport inanimate objects, which impresses science journalist Ronnie Quaife (Geena Davis), who wants to publish his findings at the urging of his editor, Stathis Borans (John Getz). Seth convinces Ronnie to wait until he can teleport living matter, and promises her a better story. That pressure pushes him to rush his research, which first results in a failed (read: terrifyingly graphic) baboon test, then a successful one. Swept up in the excitement, Seth and Ronnie grow close, and Seth’s surge of confidence allows him to continue pursuing his research.
In a reckless leap towards human trials, Seth uses himself as a guinea pig, unaware that a fly has slipped into the telepod with him. The transport works, and Seth is ecstatic, but he has no idea what just happened to his DNA. He soon becomes fascinated by his sudden increase in strength and agility, as well as his heightened sexual appetite, leading to a scientific breakthrough. Ronnie, who cares for him and has a clearer head, is disturbed by the physical changes that begin to manifest, all signs that point to something deeply wrong with his experiment.
From Nobel Prize potential to terrifying transformation
Seth, amazed but horrified by his transformation, continues his research, even as it destroys him, both physically and mentally. Once Seth realizes the gravity of what he has done, he knows there is no turning back as the mutation has taken full hold. The fly’s biology is steadily consuming him, turning him into a monstrous version of himself. Every step of the way, his obsessive work undermines the validity of the technology he wanted the world to celebrate.
As Seth transforms from a brilliant scientist to a man-sized fly, his humanity slips away. Flies don’t care about ethics, safety, or the lives of others, making Seth dangerous to anyone who tries to help him. Cronenberg never spares the audience from the grotesque reality of this process. The fly is packed with creature effects and sound design that can make even the most stoic moviegoer nauseous. When Seth first teleports, the film goes into a downward spiral that is not for the squeamish, providing one of the most graphic descents into madness in sci-fi horror story. Seth spent so much time wondering if he could, that he never stopped to consider if he should, which feels like a lesson for an older, wiser Jeff Goldblum would shake his head at.
A perfect, accidental double feature?
I can’t help but wonder about that Jurassic Park Line held some weight for Goldblum when he shot the 1993 film because Dr. Ian Malcolm is cautious to a fault, and rightly so. If only Samuel L. Jackson’s John Arnold had been around to tell everyone to shut up, perhaps Seth’s research would have been more thorough. But he wasn’t, so it wasn’t. But that’s good, because The flyroughly like Jurassic Parkshows exactly what can happen when the pursuit of scientific excellence goes horribly wrong. All that tells me is that you can watch The fly and Jurassic Park back to back and accidentally create a disturbing double feature about hubris and science gone sideways.
The fly streaming on Hulu.
