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Movies / On DVD / The Fly
The Fly

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The Fly (1986)

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Reviews Counted:45

Fresh:41

Rotten:4

Average Rating:8/10

Consensus: David Cronenberg combines his trademark affinity for gore and horror with strongly developed characters, making The Fly a surprisingly affecting tragedy.

Runtime: 1 hr 36 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: David Cronenberg's remake of the 1958 classic transcends its genre to become a moving portrait of a man and his lover attempting to come to terms with his physical disintegration. "The Fly" stars... David Cronenberg's remake of the 1958 classic transcends its genre to become a moving portrait of a man and his lover attempting to come to terms with his physical disintegration. "The Fly" stars Jeff Goldblum as a spaced-out scientist who invents a genetic teleportation machine and accidentally transforms himself into a fly. In the horrifyingly graphic detail that is his trademark, Cronenberg depicts the scientist's painful mutation from human into insect. What gives the film its tragic dimension is the emotional depth of the relationship between the scientist and his journalist girlfriend (Geena Davis) as she witnesses his slow, painful metamorphosis. [More]

Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz, Les Carlson

Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz, Les Carlson, George Chuvalo

Director: David Cronenberg

Director: David Cronenberg
Screenwriter: Charles Edward Pogue, David Cronenberg
Producer: Stuart Cornfeld
Composer: Howard Shore

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Fly

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Cronenberg's most conventional film prior to A History Of Violence, The Fly is also among the finest of his American movies.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/24/07
Richard Luck
Richard Luck
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Cronenberg's most triumphant and accessible film to date.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/24/07
Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The playful, quirky chemistry between Goldblum and Davis in the first half of the movie ensures that this gothic horror is heartbreaking as well as stomach-churning.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Firmly rooted in the type of film he does best, Cronenberg unleashes a series of nauseating effects as Goldblum transforms into a fly over a period of weeks.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/01/00
Almar Haflidason
Almar Haflidason
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
06/10/08
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

Image so much subverts intention that Jeff Goldblum's tragic flyperson finally seems more ludicrous than affecting, voyeuristically bizarre.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 1 Comment
06/05/07
Pat Graham
Pat Graham
Chicago Reader

It left me itching for something less warped to identify with than a human fly.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/13/07
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Kafka would have loved it.

Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
11/04/05
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

David Cronenberg's 1986 remake of the sci-fi schlockfest The Fly is celebrated as perhaps the most perfectly balanced of the director's pre-prestige films.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
10/20/05
Eric Henderson
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine

Charles Edward Pogue and Cronenberg's intelligent script and Goldblum's heartfelt performance make this outlandish story perfectly feasible.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
10/14/05
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

excels at telling a seemingly simple story with great intensity and human dimensions masked in genre elements

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
10/11/05
Jesse Hassenger
Jesse Hassenger
Filmcritic.com

Few films caused so much buzz in the horror world than The Fly.

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
10/04/05
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

No review available.

comment Comment
06/26/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/25/05
Moriarty
Moriarty
Ain't It Cool Movie Reviews

Cronenberg mucks up the original in a good way

comment Comment
06/10/05
John A. Nesbit
John A. Nesbit
ToxicUniverse.com

No review available.

comment Comment
05/08/05
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

A true horror classic. Goldblum's best screen performance.

comment Comment
01/08/05
Michael A. Smith
Michael A. Smith
Nolan's Pop Culture Review

No review available.

comment Comment
12/31/04
Eric Lurio
Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
07/23/04
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Fly

November 05, 2007: Cronenberg Seeks The Talking Cure
Tired of remakes, sequels, and videogame/comic book adaptations? David Cronenberg's next project might be of interest to you. Particularly if you have a degree in psychiatry. More...

May 23, 2005: Time Magazine Names the Top 100 Movies Ever Made
Time Magazine film critics Richard Corliss and Richard Schickel have put together a list of the All-Time Top 100 Movies. Lists like these are usually the domain of the American... More...

May 17, 2005: Trailer Bulletin: "A History of Violence"
Thanks to the official Cannes Film Festival website for posting the all-new trailer for David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence." The New Line Cinema release, which... More...

See All

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