The Fly (1986)

Based on a short story by George Langelaan (1st publication 1957).

A scientist researching teleportation tries to teleport himself but a fly enters the teleportation chamber and as a result his genetic material fuses with the fly's.

It's my second viewing of this film. I hated it when I first saw it. After this second viewing, I still don't like many things about it, but I acknowledge some basic virtues in it, mostly at the dramatic level, which is furthermore sustained by fine performances. Possibly its most obvious flaws are the scientific misconceptions it employs as a plot driver, such as a computer that performs actions without having been programmed to do them, and the whole baloney about teaching the computer about the "secrets of the flesh". But the film is flawed in a most essential level, in that it articulates some interesting concepts (for example, the comparison between disease and evolution) but never really explores them, degenerating instead into simple melodrama/thriller/ special effects show, and finishing so abruptly that the idea of a sequel becomes almost a necessity.

Rating: 41 (up from 17)