Reaction Paper: The Fly (2013-48674)

MARQUEZ, Kristina Patriz S.
2013-48674
STS-THY
Reaction Paper: The Fly

                Why did Helene kill her husband?  How did she get him in the hydraulic press? Why did she confess that she killed something but refused to provide a motive? Why’s she so obsessed with flies and how is this related to the movie’s title?

                Those were just the few questions that flew into my mind right after the first few minutes of the movie. I actually enjoy watching mystery movies or playing detective games, and the film was actually full of suspense and mystery. This may be why, even though I found the film somehow corny, “The Fly” caught me and still somehow kept me entertained. It was funnily corny, creepy and horrible yet dramatic.

                The film’s portrayal of the 1950’s science and technology and the 1950’s people’s futuristic vision was perfect. It somehow amuses me how the simple-looking simple-operated machine turned out to be a teleportation device. It somehow amazes me how futuristic and how science-inclined the 1950’s people’s visions were. Although, it is not the same as our generation’s futuristic settings, it involved one of the scientifically fictitious devices and act: teleportation.

                The film also involved what they, the film makers, have called “atomic mutation” on human. The human, Andre, mutated while using the teleportation device and swapped his head and arm with a fly’s. The film tells how the boldness of new discoveries is compromised by science's need for precision. That tiny error turned Andre’s life into a nightmare tale and eventually ended him.

                It is still a blur who killed who or what and if it is considered murder but it is quite clear that Andre crossed a line that he shouldn’t have. It was his decision, despite knowing the consequences or not knowing at all, that put him in that situation.