Lt. Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid, The Substance) takes part in a groundbreaking miniaturization experiment that will make him the smallest test pilot in the world. Along with his high-tech pod, Tuck is shrunk and intended to be injected into a rabbit’s bloodstream. But when commandos from a rival corporation storm the lab mid-procedure, the syringe containing Tuck is stolen and later accidentally injected into unsuspecting store clerk Jack Putter (Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building) instead of the rabbit. Innerspace also stars Meg Ryan (Top Gun), Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager), and Orson Bean (Being John Malkovich), and was produced by Steven Spielberg (Poltergeist).
What We Thought:
I hadn’t seen Innerspace in probably 20-30 years so popping in this new 4K from Arrow Films was a nice trip down memory lane. I actually saw the movie in theaters as a kid as it was the first movie I saw with a friend and without a family member. It wasn’t a box office hit, but ended up being one of the first movies to really hit on home video. Director Joe Dante blames the low box office numbers to the studio not knowing how to sell the movie to an audience and watching it now, I understand why.
It’s a science fiction film about a groundbreaking miniaturization experimentation project that bad guys try to steal. With Martin Short involved it’s also a comedy. With Meg Ryan involved it’s also sort of a romantic film. It also very much has Joe Dante’s touch to it as he tries to combine all of that. It’s not quite as slapstick as Honey I Shrunk the Kids, but it’s not quite a full blown sci-fi epic like Fantastic Voyage either.
Should I have been allowed to see Innerspace at the theater? Probably not at that age, but it was the 1980s after all. Dennis Quaid gets drunk and ends up going home with Meg Ryan’s character at the beginning of the film. He shows off his butt. There’s a scene where he’s miniaturized and can see that she’s pregnant. There’s violence and Robert Picardo plays a hired gun ladies man.
Innerspace is looked back on fondly because it has a prime Martin Short doing his Martin Short thing. It is Dennis Quaid in his leading man stage. It has Meg Ryan still adorable and a believable love interest. The special effects earned the movie an Oscar and hold up pretty well today. Short gets laughs while the sci-fi elements are still solid and the movie could very easily be remade today with the same exact plot that’s how well the story holds up. Sure the technology has gotten better, but you could see this tech becoming a weapon for the government or in the hands of bad guys. If you haven’t seen it in a while, but remember liking it, you’ll still dig it.
Special features include a 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible); newly restored original lossless 2.0 stereo, original 70mm 6-track mix in DTS-HD MA 4.1 surround and newly remixed Dolby Atmos audio; optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing; a brand new audio commentary; an archival audio commentary with director Joe Dante, producer Michael Finnell, visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren and actors Kevin McCarthy and Robert Picardo; a brand new documentary featuring director Joe Dante, visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren and others; behind the scenes with Joe Dante; behind the scenes at ILM; original storyboards; continuity and behind the scenes Polaroids; production stills gallery; posters and promo stills gallery; the theatrical trailer; double-sided fold-out poster; and a collectors’ perfect-bound booklet.
The Nerds Templar 