The 80s was when money really surpassed art and creativity in film. Marketing tactics were used to maximize box-office potential, but this meant less risk. Hollywood started making use of a strategy known as “front loading”. “Front loading” meant going all out on the promotion of a film before it’s actual release—releasing movie themes toys, posters, video games, merchandise and even food.
In the process of capitalizing profits, Hollywood reinvented itself and became a larger conglomerative media industry. In this day and age, it seems impossible to speak about the profits of Hollywood without sequels coming to mind. During the 80s, Hollywood observed what worked and what the audience liked, and stuck to what worked. Many franchises started to emerge, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. This paved the way for the future of Hollywood, such as the Jurassic Park series in the 90s, and Harry Potter in the 00s. Since then, Hollywood has pretty much stayed the same, if you add in the birth of the internet and online streaming.
When I think of film in the 80s, what comes to mind are teen films, like the iconic Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club. These films portrayed teen life and were greatly influential on a generation, and still live on as great teen classics today.
In the 80s, fantasy, horror and sci-fi boomed. Many horror series were started in the 80s, such as Halloween, The Amityville Horror, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Sci-fi films such as The Fly and Alien came out in the 80s.
Every Wednesday, I am left thinking that I just saw the greatest movie of all time. After Wednesday’s screening of The Fly (1986), I am certain that I saw the greatest movie of all time. The Fly follows a journalist, Veronica (Geena Davis) on her quest to find her latest scoop. Soon, she encounters scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) who has just discovered the secret of teleportation. They fall in love but things turn ugly when Brundle unknowingly shares a teleportation pod with a fly, fusing with it on a genetic level.
The Fly tackles romance, psychological horror, sci-fi, and even the aids epidemic that was prominent in the 80s. It revolves around losing control of your body—or rather your body turning against you, everyone’s worst fear. Geena Davis and Jeff Goldman’s chemistry is undeniable, which is not surprising considering that they were married the year after The Fly came out.
The Fly is so disgusting that it is impossible to tear your eyes away from the screen. At one point, Brundle is shown vomiting on his food in order to make the digestion process easier. At another, a baboon is shown with his insides out. Fingernails are plucked and puss is oozed. The movie may be a bit gruesome, but for me, the romantic story completely overshadowed the gruesomeness of it all. I was rooting for the couple until the very end, despite Brundle’s weird, disfigured fly figure.
History of the Motion Picture 
You are the winner of the title game for this week. That was the first thing that caught my eye when looking for an article to read and reply too. Great Job on that!
The 80s just go to show what can happen when capitalism really starts to take over a market. We begin to see how executives no longer go out and search for a new idea or niche in the industry but stick to the past results. Its like if you go to McDonalds, you know no matter what a burger and fries will be a good choice. This is what these film executives wanted to do to the film industry. They will put out a new movie and if it doesn’t work, then they know they can just add another film on to one of their more successful films. It seems wrong, but its all about getting the money and making more of it. It the great fun of capitalism.
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I wish I had seen your title before I posted, otherwise I would have changed mine! I’m really glad you saw The Fly as something more than a horror movie. It really is a tragic love story, even if it is really simple. Emotion and meaning conveyed through movement at the end where he puts the gun to his head is honestly just so refreshing because I think movies today really focus on hand holding for audiences and I find that really frustrating. Like if the movie was remade today they’d probably have him ask in a monster voice for her to shoot him, when really all you need is to just show the actions. It honestly has more meaning. I love that you’re so passionate about the movies we watch, it makes for really interesting blog posts.
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