The Fly

I found the science-fiction horror film The Fly (1958) quite interesting. Since I was a child, I was already interested in following the various developments and research in science. I was always excited for news of new technologies. And so for me, watching science-fiction films would always seem like a “realization” of these possible technologies.

The film centers on the concept of Teleportation, which the Encarta English Dictionary defines as “to move instantly from one place to another by futuristic, paranormal, or magical means”. Quite simply, it is a process which is impossible to by today’s level of technology (barring paranormal or magical means, which I suppose would be more impossible). And it would have been more impossible to do during the time the film was made. However, it is interesting to note that the scientists, even at that time still haven’t completely abandoned the thought of being able to perform it. And this film seemed like the representation of this sentiment.

The film however shows as the risks of research. Sometimes, we get so thirsty for knowledge such that we forget where our boundaries lie. We do everything to achieve something “new” and so, not only do we risk destroying ourselves, but that of others.

The film therefore exhibits morality play. In current times, we limit doing science through ethical boundaries. Discussions on the IBM website say that human teleportation can be done by scanning the person in such a way that all information is extracted and sent to a designated location to be used in reconstructing the person. Basically, the human body gets destroyed and so a replica is only created. The concept is amazing, however the ethics of the process of recreating humans become questionable. As always, the most amazing technologies come with the greatest consequences.


Jacob Ron B. Murillo

2009-10762