Guest Author - Andy Boxall

The Fly – Special Edition DVD Review

Director: David Cronenberg
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis and John Getz
Region 1, 2 discs.
Out Now

Directed by David Cronenberg, The Fly is a remake of the original 1958 version of the same name. Although the concept is basically the same, much has changed for the better elsewhere, making this an unusual case of the remake being superior to the original.

Scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) invents a teleportation machine and invites journalist Veronica (Geena Davis) to follow his experiment. During this time, Seth and Veronica fall in love, much to the disappointment of Veronica’s editor and ex-boyfriend Stathis (John Getz). When Brundle decides to try the machine himself something goes wrong, a simple housefly tags along inside the teleporter and Seth and the Fly are accidentally spliced together, bringing horrific consequences.

David Cronenberg is well known for making very visual films that are also thought provoking, challenging and well acted, and The Fly does not break this tradition. While many who saw the movie on it’s release 20 years ago will remember the more splattery of scenes, this repeat viewing reveals a classic love triangle and Brundle’s intense vulnerability. It would be very easy to pass The Fly off as just another horror film that serves no purpose except to repulse, but viewers who can see past this will find a serious and actually quite touching film.

The legions of fans that admire Cronenberg’s more graphic work can rejoice too, as The Fly offers ample opportunities to put some impressive special effects work into play. Whilst not as photo-realistic as today’s overused CGI creations, the traditional effects work on display here give a much more tangible experience and considerable work went into achieving The Fly’s individual look. On viewing the deleted scenes, The Fly could have been far gorier than it turned out. This has made the film into something very different, almost like Brundle himself.

This new 2 disc DVD is a region 1 edition (it can only be played on machines that accept USA/Canadian DVDs) with a newly designed cover shown to good effect on the card slipcase. The movie looks fantastic and is presented in an anamorphic 1.85:1 format. The soundtrack has been remixed into Dolby 5.1 and DTS, with the latter sounding superb. The first disc has the film and a commentary from Cronenberg. Considering it was 1986 when he made the film (and has made many others since) Cronenberg is an interesting companion and has much to say about the film and his reasons for making it.

Disc 2 is a real goldmine. You have the deleted scenes, including the infamous Monkey-Cat and the Butterfly Baby ending, plus the scripts, original press packs and featurettes, test footage and an alternate ending. The stand out piece though is Fear of the Flesh, a 2-hour-45-minute documentary covering everything from original concept to the release of the film. Although Cronenberg only pops up occasionally (he said his part in the commentary), the producer, effects team and the actors all give a fascinating in-depth look at how the film was made. Fear of the Flesh is excellent and worth the price of the disc alone.

I enjoyed revisiting The Fly. I had not seen it for many years and still found it engrossing and disturbing. Jeff Goldblum is great as is Geena Davis, who has a far more rounded and interesting character than many other horror movies of the era. But for me, it is the Cronenberg effect that makes the film stand out. This is far more mainstream than a lot of his early work, but still deals with the melding of technology and flesh and the effect that it has on ordinary people. Overall, a fine film is partner to a superb documentary, making this a must-own set for Cronenberg and horror fans alike.