The Fly

Movie review by Brian Costello, Common Sense Media
The Fly Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 16+

Classic '80s horror has some violence, gory moments.

R 1986 95 minutes
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Parents say

age 13+

Based on 3 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 11 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Fly is a 1986 classic horror remake in which Jeff Goldblum plays a scientist who transforms into a fly. Like other horror movies directed by David Cronenberg, this movie has plenty of horror and nightmare imagery. As Goldlbum's character becomes more and more fly-like, he becomes increasingly grotesque, both physically and in his behavior. He rips an ear off and rips his teeth out, for instance, and that's just the beginning. As he realizes he has the strength of a fly, he goes to a dive bar and arm-wrestles one of the men in the bar, breaking his arm so the bone rips out of the skin. He later vomits on a hand, causing the man to lose his hand in graphic burning and melting. A baboon is killed during a science experiment -- literally turned inside-out with only smoldering muscle tissue left. There's some profanity, including "f--k," plus cigarette smoking and some drinking. There are also some scenes between the lead female character and her boss/ex-boyfriend that constitute sexual harassment. Lead characters have sex, with very brief nudity (female breast) in the aftermath; the lead female character is also shown greeting the lead male character with her legs spread open.

Community Reviews

ahmed aiman 99
ahmed aiman 99 Adult
April 16, 2019
age 16+

Brilliantly Gruesome!

Naked Lunch was the only Cronenberg I've watched before seeing this, and although I can't say that I liked it even a tiny bit; I admired the flashes of creativity I've seen throughout its 115-min run-time of an achingly phlegmatic pacing and self-indulgence. Therefore, I was optimistic that this renowned indie director's bizarre style could work for me someday. This day may has come, or maybe it's just this movie. Either way, all I can say is that I was definitely right! First off, Chris Walas's standout, Oscar-winning makeup effects are just superbly sick! The last transformation is case in point, and I really haven't seen anything more impressive than those effects, aside from the equally brilliant practical effects that were used in Carpenter's The Thing. What's even more awe-inspiring is how well-developed every single character in this movie is. They are constantly developing throughout the film's three acts. And each act adds more layers into them in a most graceful and reasonable way. I want to confess that I have never considered Jeff Goldblum as an excellent actor. I always see him as one of the most charismatic actors, who play the same character in every film he's in, and I'm totally fine with that. That's because his quirky distinctive style of acting almost always pays off terrifically, so much so that his character steals the show every time. That said, the different phases his character go through in this movie prove that Goldblum's appeal isn't the only thing he has. For my surprise, Jeff Goldblum turned out to be a really talented actor who can flesh-out his character, figuratively and literally, masterfully. Geena Davis is quite good as Veronica Quaife, whose character arc and the development of her romantic affair with the protagonist near the end reminded me of Belle in Beauty and the Beast a little bit. I think Stathis Borans is an insufferably cartoonish character during the first act. John Getz is not blame at all, as I think he really did a good job. Fortunately, Stathis is also a pretty strongly-developed character that changed a great deal at the third act, and hence became more credible. I was overwhelmed by different feelings of pity, fear, disgust, and so many others, in the course of the movie's 96-min run-time. However, I think the denouement lacks intensity, since I found the ending predictable, and I saw it coming a bit early. Other than the issues I've mentioned above, this movie really impressed me with all its creativity and originality. Cronenberg is truly a visionary filmmaker, and I hope I enjoy the rest of his filmography. (8.5/10)

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
CSMContentDefault
CSMContentDefault Adult
November 16, 2020
age 10+

Cronenbergs best

This title has:

Too much violence
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE FLY, Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), a brilliant but socially awkward scientist, meets Victoria Quaife (Geena Davis), a science reporter, at a social function. Eager to impress her, Brundle invites Quaife to his warehouse home and laboratory to show her what he's working on: "telepods," in which objects can teleport from one pod to the other. But he has been unable to make his experiment work on living things until Quaife, who is starting to become smitten with Brundle, gives him some unscientific advice that points Brundle in the right direction. But Quaife is trying to break up with her former boyfriend, who is also her editor. While she's off trying to end things with her editor, Brundle gets the wrong idea, gets drunk, and decides to teleport himself now that he has figured out how to transfer living creatures from one telepod to the other. However, when Brundle does this, a fly manages to get inside the telepod. When he emerges, Brundle seems fine at first, but over time, he gradually begins to take on the physical features and behaviors of a house fly, and gradually begins to look more and more like one. Now it's up to Brundle, with help from Quaife, to see if there's a way to stop Brundle's metamorphosis into a fly before he loses his humanity.

Is It Any Good?

While the fashions, computer technology, mullet hair, and big perms haven't aged well, the rest of this film has stood the test of time. Jeff Goldblum's trademark mannerisms and speech cadences give his mad-scientist character an understated yet plain awkwardness that offsets how menacing he slowly becomes, first in his behavior and then in his physical appearance. This tale of human-to-insect metamorphosis was the perfect vehicle for director David Cronenberg, known for the nightmare-inducing imagery in such movies as Scanners, Videodrome, and Naked Lunch.

Like all good stories, The Fly takes full advantage of the possibilities in the premise. It's subtle at first -- Brundle dropping sugar cube after endless sugar cube into a cappuccino during the earliest stages of turning into a fly, for instance -- with each step slowly becoming more menacing. It's the kind of slow burn that Hitchcock turned into an art form. The scares and gore proceed organically from the story and avoid the gratuitous excesses of so many other horror movies. It's fun, frightening, creepy, gross, and engrossing -- a horror classic.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about remakes. This version of The Fly, a remake of a 1958 movie, has taken on a life of its own as an '80s horror classic. What are some other examples of movie remakes that are just as good, if not better, than the original? Does this happen often?

  • How are computers and technology conveyed in this movie? How would they be shown differently if this movie came out today?

  • What are some other examples of movies, TV shows, and literary fiction in which characters turn into supernatural beings, animals, or insects? Why do you think there's an appeal for these kinds of stories?

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