Review of Innerspace

Introduction

Fantastic Voyage was a pretty dull film. The adaptation of Isaac Asimov`s novel into the film of the same name has never failed to put me to sleep. This is despite my enjoyment of Asimov`s books. With current CGI and special effects technologies, the Foundation books are surely ripe for an adaptation. But I`ll be the first to admit that Asimov`s characterisations are not up to the standard of his epic visions of the future. Surely that is why so few of his novels have made it to the big screen and the most famous movie based on his work, Fantastic Voyage is hardly a milestone in cinema history. Innerspace however does the next best thing. It takes one of Asimov`s concepts, miniaturisation and creates a whole new story and movie around it. Throw in some laughs, some romance and lots of excitement, coupled with ILM`s award winning special effects and you have the ingredients for a hit movie.

Lieutenant Tuck Pendleton is a pilot whose best flying days are past him. But he doesn`t let that stand in the way of a good time and reliving past glories at the bottom of a bottle. His girlfriend Lydia finds this hard to contend with and pretty soon their relationship is foundering. But Pendleton has a new plan to be an all American hero, and two months later scientists at Vectorscope are miniaturising him to be injected into a rabbit. But Vectorscope isn`t immune to industrial espionage and Victor Scrimshaw`s goons attack to steal the Photon Echo Memory chips required for the miniaturisation and enlargement processes. One of the chips has been shrunk down with the submersible pod piloted by Pendleton and the chief scientist at Vectorscope escapes with the syringe that had been destined for Bugs. The scientist is fatally wounded fleeing into a shopping mall and in a last ditch attempt to save Pendleton, injects him into hypochondriac grocery store clerk, Jack Putter. As Pendleton realises that he not in the rabbit he was destined for, and that something has seriously gone wrong with the experiment, his only option is to use the technology at his disposal to contact Jack. Tuck explains that he only has a day of air to breathe and that the other chip has to be recovered so that he can be re-enlarged. They need help and Jack must turn to Tuck`s ex-girlfriend Lydia who works as an investigative reporter for help. Black market technologies dealer, The Cowboy is flying into town and Jack and Lydia must go undercover to recover the chip. Luckily Tuck has a bag of technological tricks to help Jack out.

Video

Warner has done a great job with the picture on this disc. Presented in the 1.85:1 anamorphic ratio, the image is sharp and clear. There is also very little sign of age and the picture looks almost pristine. There is a minor hint of grain, but this is negligible and on the whole the film looks fresh and new. ILM`s effects are still good today, though of course they are all optical effects. The interior of Jack`s body is well accomplished and it`s only today where CGI has revolutionised the special effects industry that they appear a little lacking. The film design is very well done, with a nice contrast between the ramshackle group of scientists working with jerry-rigged material at Vectorscope and the pristine chambers of Scrimshaw`s lab with its high-tech state of the art equipment.

Audio

You get the choices of DD 5.1 English or DD 2.0 Dolby Surround in English, French and Italian. The sound is very well done and the remix of the original stereo sound is very effective. This isn`t all that apparent when the film starts, but as soon as the action switches to the inside of Putter, the eerie otherworldliness of the human anatomy gets conveyed by the surround sound. There is a palpable contrast between the macro and micro worlds and it is well implemented through the sound. The music by Jerry Goldsmith is great and punctuates the pace of the movie well. It`s also good to hear those Sam Cooke classics again, but I`m in two minds about the Rod Stewart rendition of Twistin` the Night Away.

Features

This is a budget Warner`s release, so the addition of a cast list and a page detailing the award (singular) that the film won in addition to the ubiquitous trailer are as per usual. What is surprising is the addition of a commentary. In a 2.0 surround format, Director Joe Dante, producer Mike Finnell and ILM guru Dennis Muren contribute their recollections of the movie. Joining them are cast members Kevin McCarthy and Robert Picardo. The commentary is entertaining and at times quite funny, but you do notice the absence of the three main stars, though Martin Short was supposed to contribute. Also, while the main feature is subtitled, the commentary isn`t.

Conclusion

Innerspace is two hours of fun for all the family. There was a great vogue for genre twisting movies in the eighties. Sci-fi/fantasy comedies like Short Circuit, Teenwolf and Gremlins were all the rage, culminating in the Back to the Future trilogy and Innerspace is definitely of the same school of thought. Where the serious treatment of Fantastic Voyage failed, Innerspace succeeded because of great characters, some sharp comedy and a sense of fun that permeated the film.

The cast is excellent, with Dennis Quaid as the intrepid Tuck Pendleton displaying an adept sense of comic timing. This is made all the more impressive when you consider that his role was filmed largely in the submersible and that he is rarely on screen with his co-stars. Martin Short displays some hilarious physical comedy as he comes to terms with his miniaturised hitchhiker. Meg Ryan makes an early appearance here and it`s already apparent what a movie star she will be, she practically owns the screen and her portrayal of Lydia lacks all the quirkiness that she has patented for her rom-coms in recent years. It makes a refreshing change to see why she hit the big time in the first place. Kevin McCarthy is wonderfully amoral as the greedy Scrimshaw. I love the scene where he is feeding his dog. Also memorable is Robert Picardo as The Cowboy, but Vernon Wells as Mr Igoe, the chief goon is first-rate. More noted for hamming it up totally as Bennett in Commando, here he underplays the menace. He has no lines and every emotion is conveyed merely with a raised eyebrow.

This film is a great laugh, and Joe Dante directs it with passion. The characterisations are superb and the humour is well observed. I like the way the staff in Safeway take their business so seriously, or how the Cowboy is so into his western persona, it`s little touches like this that contribute to the whole and make this film such a well oiled piece of comedy. The disc has a brilliant transfer of a fifteen-year-old film, it`s like watching it again for the first time. The addition of the commentary is a welcome bonus on this budget disc. After all these years, Innerspace is still one of my favourite movies. If you have two hours to kill, you could do a lot worse than giving this disc a spin.