The Fly 5 Ways The Cronenberg Remake Is Better Than The 1958 Original (& 5 Ways Its Not)
The Fly: 5 Ways The Cronenberg Remake Is Better Than The 1958 Original (& 5 Ways It’s Not)
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The 1958 version of The Fly will always be a sci-fi horror classic, but could it really be said to be better than the 1986 David Cronenberg movie?
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The Fly is a 1958 science fiction horror classic that tells the story of one scientist’s endeavor to develop teleportation technology by creating chambers that deconstruct, transfer, then reconstruct a subject’s atoms. When the scientist uses himself as a test subject, a fly unexpectedly enters the chamber, turning the scientist into a monstrous combination of human and fly DNA.
This classic examination of the relationship between humanity and science was later remade by David Cronenberg as a body-horror film about the potential horrors that might befall humanity as the human form deteriorates. While they are both takes on a similar narrative, the 1958 version and 1986 remake of The Fly offer very different views on what happens when man tries to play god. These similarities and differences naturally beg the question of whether the original 1958 or 1986 remake version of The Fly is better.
10 1958: Murder Mystery
The original The Fly film is a murder mystery that slowly unfolds over the course of the movie’s runtime. The movie opens with the alleged murder of scientist Andre by his wife Helene.
The viewer is tossed back and forth throughout the rest of the movie as the story of if and why Helene killed Andre plays out. It is only at the film’s climax that the audience finally gets the whole picture and discovers the meaning behind Andre’s death. This framing device keeps the audience engaged and on edge for the entire movie.
9 1986: Body Horror
Director David Cronenberg has made many films that explore the human body and the horror that can occur within the body. In this regard, The Fly is one of David Cronenberg’s most intentional meditations about the deterioration and betrayal of the human form.
At its core, The Fly is a story about a man being betrayed and ultimately killed by his own body as Seth Brundle transforms from a normal, healthy individual into an unsustainable biological anomaly. This narrative of a man’s body slowly breaking down is terrifyingly universal and unpreventable for every single viewer. By tapping into this universal horror, that eventually every human body will fail, Cronenberg is able to create a truly terrifying viewing experience.
8 1958: Helene’s Story
Because the movie begins with Andre’s alleged murder, the story is told from the perspective of his wife, Helene. The decision to tell the story from her point of view drastically impacts the method through which the story plays out.
By putting the audience in Helene’s shoes, the filmmakers are able to slowly unravel the mystery of Andre’s work and the implications it has for the rest of the world. As such, the 1958 film has strong mystery and thriller elements with the audience slowly piecing together the larger story as Helene discovers what is really happening.
7 1986: Brundle’s Story
In service of David Cronenberg’s concept of the human body breaking down and falling apart, the 1986 version showcases the transformation from human to a human-fly hybrid in a way that the 1958 version does not. Seth Brundle’s slow and painful decay is a heartbreaking and excruciating process that takes place over the course of the movie.
The gradual breakdown of his body is a devastating journey that Seth Brundle is ultimately powerless to stop. It is a strange and emotionally effective character arc that mirrors so many debilitating real-world conditions.
6 1958: Slow Burn
Despite the over-the-top science fiction elements of The Fly, the 1958 version is incredibly restrained, holding back the full reveal of the fly-human hybrid monster until over an hour into the film.
This slow, dramatic build-up to the titular creature’s reveal builds a mounting sense of dread and intrigue as the viewer slowly puts the pieces together along with Helene. This all builds to an ending that, despite its dated presentation, still inspires a sense of hopelessness and chilling fear in viewers to this day.
5 1986: The Visuals
The 1958 version of The Fly is a slow burn classic that gradually builds to the grand reveal of its monstrous human-fly hybrid. Limited by the technology of its time, the original version smartly limits the time that the audience sees the titular fly.
Unlike the original, the 1986 version illustrates every step of the main character’s transformation with groundbreaking and Oscar-winning visuals. Rather than relying on the shock value of the final version of the human-fly hybrid, the 1986 version show viewers what Brundle looks like in every part of the process. These grotesque, heartbreaking, terrifying visuals leave the audience haunted by images that they can never forget.
4 1958: Vincent Price
Vincent Price was an actor known primarily for his involvement in B-horror movies. Putting together an incredible filmography that includes Laura, The Ten Commandments, House of Wax, and the Batman television show, the presence of Vincent Price let audiences know that they could expect a fun, thought-provoking, thrilling horror experience from The Fly.
Vincent Price plays Andre’s brother who is desperate to put together the pieces and figure out what exactly happened. By casting such a genre legend, The Fly cemented its status as a horror classic.
3 1986: Jeff Goldblum
While the original version of The Fly benefitted from the star power of Vincent Price, the 1986 remake is elevated by an outstanding performance from Jeff Goldblum. The future Jurassic Park star turns in one of the best performances of his career as the protagonist of the film.
Charming, arrogant, tortured, and ultimately heartbreaking, Jeff Goldblum does outstanding work as a scientist afflicted by this irreversible condition. Because the story is so over the top, the success of the film rests on a believable and empathetic performance to ground the entire movie. Thankfully, Jeff Goldblum more than delivers by turning in one of the greatest performances of his career.
2 1958: Philosophical Questions
Despite the seemingly silly concept of a scientist having his DNA mixed up with that of a housefly, The Fly offers a surprisingly complex exploration of science and humanity. At the core of this film is the question of what makes mankind human and what right humanity has to play God.
These lofty questions create a riveting narrative and leave the audience pondering the themes of the film long after the movie ends. There are no easy answers, as the film communicates that the killing of creatures with mixed human and fly DNA leaves all of the characters simultaneously innocent and guilty.
1 1986: Philosophical Questions
Ultimately, both versions of The Fly are about the exploration of what it means to be human. The 1958 version looks at this question in a literal way, determining that killing a human-fly hybrid is still murder. The film also deals with the view of accepted scientific accomplishments, such as broadcasting television, versus new breakthroughs.
As a metaphor for terminal illness, the 1986 version instead examines the breakdown of the human body, challenging the audience to determine at what point in the deterioration of the body a person is no longer human. This is a clear area of fascination for Cronenberg, and it is never more clearly on display than in Brundle’s transformation in The Fly. Brundle’s slow deterioration is heartbreaking, frustrating, and difficult to watch, making this arguably the best version of The Fly.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/the-fly-5-ways-the-cronenberg-remake-is-better-than-the-1958-original-5-ways-its-not/
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