The movie J.J. Abrams said made “fringe science sexy”
At one point thought to be the second coming of Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams climbed to prominence at the dawn of the new millennium, heavily inspired by the cult sci-fi flicks of the 1980s from the likes of Ridley Scott, James Cameron and the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial director. A key figure in bringing the likes of Shrek, the modern Star Trek film series and even the seminal TV series Lost to life, Abrams was a once-adored figure.
It’s not like things have gone incredibly wrong for the filmmaker; it’s just that he hasn’t reached the heights of his projected potential. Following the release of his successful Star Trek movie reboot in 2009 and its decent sequel, the director helmed the underwhelming Super-8 before transitioning from one iconic sci-fi franchise to another, piloting the ship of the new Star Wars trilogy.
It was doomed from the beginning, thanks to the almost total lack of planning from Disney’s side. Although Abrams initially reeled fans in with the release of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens in 2015, by the time he was brought back to pick up the pieces of the final instalment in the trilogy, 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker, things had gotten past the point of repair.
Still, despite his questionable track record, there’s no doubt that, at least at one point, Abrams was a visionary cinematic mind, particularly in the sci-fi genre. Such led the filmmaker to reveal his list of five favourite sci-fi movies of all time, where he discussed movies from the likes of Ridley Scott, Stanley Kubrick and David Cronenberg.
While Scott, Kubrick, Spielberg and Cameron were fairly mainstream in the world of sci-fi cinema, the idiosyncratic Canadian creative David Cronenberg existed more on the fringes of the industry in the 1980s, even after the release of the celebrated 1983 body horror Videodrome. This would change in 1986, however, upon the release of the Oscar-winning sci-fi The Fly, starring Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis.
“David Cronenberg made fringe science sexy in this wildly emotional remake of the 1950s classic,” Abrams stated about the movie, which won the Academy Award for ‘Best Makeup’. Telling the story of an eccentric scientist who goes a little too far with one of his creations, The Fly remains a genre classic, with Abrams adding: “The love story at the core of this movie is so beautiful and tragic and funny and crackling that your heart breaks when things turn Brundlefly”.
Take a look at the trailer for the celebrated, gooey, body horror sci-fi below.
