Today has brought us the release of The Fly in a special collectors edition. 2 discs just chock full of horror goodness.
I had not viewed The Fly in several years and watching it again was like visiting a long lost friend. I had forgotten just how damn good this film was. Cronenberg is nothing short of exceptional in his direction of this film. The pacing, the look, the gore, it is all pitch perfect.
Jeff Goldblum, although fidgety and weird is also exceptional in his portrayal of Seth Brundle, the quirky, misunderstood genius who inadvertently melds his DNA with that of a fly and begins a transformation that is nothing short of terrifying.
After almost 20 years this film still holds up as one of the best horror films ever put on film. Cronenberg is the absolute master of physical horror. By that I mean the way his films have always used the human body and the human condition to terrify us. He has never done it better than in this film. Watching Brundle self destruct both physically and mentally is not only funny and disturbing it is just damn gross. The whole purpose of this new release is to give us fans all The Fly we can handle and they have not let us down. Here is what the disc offers:
- Available subtitles: English, Spanish
- Available Audio Tracks: English (DTS 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Spanish (Dolby Digital 1.0)
- Commentary by David Cronenberg
- 3 production documentaries
- Deleted scenes with storyboard and script comparisons
- Never-before-seen alternate ending
- Rare fest footage (makeup and visual effects)
- "The Brundle Museum of Natural History" featurette
- George Langdon's original short story
- Charles Edward Pogue's original screenplay
- David Cronenberg's screenplay rewrite
- Interactive articles (stills with video clips) from Cinefex and American Cinematographer
- Promotional featurettes
- Still photo galleries
- Original teasers, trailers, TV spots, and more
Wow, that is a lot of stuff and it is all awesome. Even if you already own the film on DVD, you need to pick this version up as it is easily the most complete and comprehensive history of the film ever put together. An absolute must have for Fly fans, Cronenberg fans and horror fans in general.
