SCIENCE MOMENTS by Kelly Parks and E.C.McMullen Jr.

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ALL THE FLY SCI-MO

EUREKA!

THE FLY - 1986
Original short story by George Langelaan
Screenplay by Charles Edward Pogue and David Cronenberg
Directed by David Cronenberg
Making teleportation a workable concept is not easy but I must say this movie does a great job.

SCIENCE MOMENT By KELLY PARKS

Less is more as Seth plays down his genius by saying he has outside experts build the various parts and he just puts them together.

This is mixed in with glorious philoso-babble like only Jeff Goldblum can do. And when the fateful moment comes and Seth teleports himself and his unseen little passenger, the result is not instant switched body parts like in the original movie. Instead the confused computer (exhibiting intelligence and computer power far beyond anything achievable today) decides to genetically merge the two subjects into one.

So Seth Brundle steps out of the other telepod, but in fact he is now Brundle-Fly. And, quite correctly, his altered genome takes time to become apparent. At first it's all internal (increased strength, speed, and a craving for sweets) but quickly a hideous transformation takes place. I have to give kudos to the writers for having the first external evidence of fly genes happen at the site of an injury (where new skin is growing) and for having Seth mention that at first he thought his altered genes would express themselves as a bizarre form of cancer, which they almost certainly would.

THE FLY II - 1989
Based on Original characters by George Langelaan
Story by Mick Garris
Screenplay by Mick Garris, Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat, and Frank Darabont
Directed by Chris Walas
Martin is the son of a human woman and a half-human half-fly mutant, thus making him one-quarter fly on his father's side.

SCIENCE MOMENT By KELLY PARKS

Let me just mention here that humans and chimpanzees, which share 98% of the same genetic material, can't cross breed, so the idea that Brundle-Fly and a human female would successfully reproduce is extremely unlikely. Be that as it may, if such an offspring were produced you would expect him to have certain fly-like characteristics. For example, the great strength Brundle-Fly displayed in the first movie is fine, since pound for pound insects are many times stronger than mammals.

But superior intelligence? No.

Cocoons? No.

That'd make a good spoof title:
"The Caterpillar! Very scary, kids! Watch out! He'll . . . eat your rose bushes!"

The writers need to spend some time watching the Discovery channel.

END

This article copyright 2000 - 2021 E.C.McMullen Jr.

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