The Fly (1986)

October 8, 2018

2,252 3 minutes read

Film and Plot Synopsis

Seth Brundle is a research scientist who has invented these two-matter transmission pods that teleport any object through space from one telepod to the other. However, it isn’t until Seth meets journalist Veronica Quaife that he achieves a successful teleportation. Unfortunately, something goes horribly wrong when Seth uses himself as a guinea-pig in a matter transmission experiment. Unaware that a house fly is trapped in the telepod with him, when he teleports himself, his genes are fused with it. Seth now finds himself slowly transforming into a mutant-type creature known as Brundlefly.

‘The Fly’ Movie Summary

The summary below contains spoilers.

The Fly begins with a socially awkward, but brilliant scientist named Seth Brundle, played by Jeff Goldblum, hitting on journalist Veronica Quaife, Geena Davis, at a meet and greet for Brundle’s company Bartok Science Industries. As with any eccentric genius, Brundle offers to give Veronica a late night tour of his lab – which comes complete with a big bed and a stripper pole.

There he reveals his invention–three telepods–that will forever change the way humanity travels, but they’re not ready just yet. They have this nasty knack for turning baboons into piles of mush. Brundle convinces Veronica to document his progress. She agrees on the condition they have sex three times a day. After their first trip to Pound Town, Brundle is inspired. He reprograms the telepods to transport living tissue. It’s a success!

Instead of celebrating with her new man, Veronica leaves to go tell her old boy toy and current boss Stathis Borans, played by a furry John Getz, that she is cutting him off from her poonany party once and for all. Jealous, Borans says he will publish the telepod story with out her, and take all the credit.

Meanwhile, a drunk and pissed off Brundle decides to teleport himself in his fancy, dancy invention, but doesn’t see the housefly zoom in the pod with him. The two shoot across the room quicker than you can say Wonkavision. Instead of emerging as a tasty, chocolate bar, Brundle and the fly fuse into one mean, lean puking machine.

He is stronger, has more stamina, and a penis that can pump for days, but these benefits are the beginning of the end for our wacky scientist. He transforms inside and out. Over time, he loses human body parts only to have them replaced with insect limbs. He begins to have a strong craving for sugars, is able to crawl on the walls and ceiling, and vomits on food to dissolve it before eating it.

Brundle’s transformation horrifies Veronica. However, she really becomes unglued when she learns that she’s pregnant with this bug’s baby; which should be a lesson to all you whores out there. You let some crazy guy bang you until you’re blue, and you get a cooch full of maggots. (That’s a direct quote from the bible.) Since Veronica doesn’t know if Brundle impregnated her before or after his mutation, she decides to abort it. She turns to Borans for help, but before the doctor is able to snip snip away at her vajayjay, Brundlefly swoops in to save his gestating grub.

He takes Veronica back to his warehouse, where he intends to use his telepods to fuse himself with Veronica and his baby. Borans comes to the rescue with a disassembled shotgun, but Brundlefly intercepts him. He dissolves Borans hand and foot with his acidic vomit–but not the gun. He leaves that intact. Brundlefly transforms into his final form, and throws Veronica into pod #1, then enters pod #2 himself.

Not dead yet, Borans shoots the cables to her pod, rendering it useless. Seeing this, Brundlefly breaks out of his pod as the teleportation begins. He fuse with metal from his machine into a hideous pile of fly poo. In great pain, the new Brundlefly silently begs Veronica to kill him. She hesitates, but realizes that’s what is best for the baby, and she blows his head off. As the movie ends, there is the foreboding sense that a sequel is not far behind.