David Cronenberg’s remake of the 1958 horror classic The Fly is not for the squeamish. Casting Jeff Goldblum was a good choice as he brings a quirky, common touch to the spacey scientist role. Cronenberg gives him a nice girlfriend (Geena Davis), too.
But there’s trouble in paradise. Goldblum’s got a set of teleporters that he promises will ‘change the world as we know it’, and indeed, it changes his.
Even though the machinery is not yet perfected, Goldblum, in a moment of drunken jealousy, throws himself in the works. Unbeknownst to him a fly accompanies him on the journey and he starts to metamorphise.
Chris Walas’ design for The Fly is never less than visually intriguing. Production design by Carol Spier, particularly for Goldblum’s warehouse lab, is original and appropriate to the hothouse drama. Cronenberg contains the action well in a limited space with a small cast.
1986: Best Make-Up
