Director: Joe Dante
Screenplay: Jeffrey Boam, Chip Proser
Based on a Story by: Chip Proser
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, Fiona Lewis, Vernon Wells, Robert Picardo, Wendy Schaal, Harold Sylvester, William Schallert, Henry Gibson, John Hora
Country: USA
Running Time: 120 min
Year: 1987
BBFC Certificate: 12
The original script for Innerspace took the concept of injecting a miniaturised person into someone else’s body and played it completely straight. This script was shopped around for a while, but it was felt that people wouldn’t be able to take the concept seriously. The idea eventually came around to turn it into a comedy. The resulting new script was great and bounced around a few different directors before landing on the desk of Joe Dante, who had previously been offered the original script but turned it down. Dante saw this freshly minted spin on the story as a Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movie, where you saw what would happen if they shrank Martin and put him inside Lewis.
The film, produced by Steven Spielberg, moved into production, but sadly was a flop in theatres (Dante blames the marketing). However, Innerspace found a new lease of life on VHS.
This was where I discovered the film as a youngster, though I’d taped it off TV, rather than rented it. It was one of those tapes, along with Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, that my brother and I would watch repeatedly, whenever we were bored in the morning. Something about it just captured our imaginations.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen the film, though. So, when Arrow Video announced they were releasing Innerspace on UHD and Blu-ray, it was the perfect excuse to revisit the film and see if it matched my nostalgic memories of watching it back in the late 80s or early 90s.
If you’ve not seen the film, here is Arrow’s plot summary: “Maverick pilot Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid) is about to make history as part of a scientific experiment to be miniaturised and injected into the body of a rabbit… but when rogue scientists steal the new technology, he finds himself injected into hypochondriac grocery clerk Jack Putter (Martin Short) instead. Together with ace reporter Lydia Maxwell (Meg Ryan), Jack must find the stolen tech that will get Tuck back to regular size and out of his body – before the bad guys extract him by force!”
Well, I was pleased to discover that Innerspace absolutely lived up to my memory of it. I’ve always had a soft spot for the wacky, high-concept comedy adventures of the 80s and 90s, and this is one of the best.
It’s quite long for a comedy (two hours), but it’s furiously paced, never letting up during its wild ride. This is aided by the fact that it actually tells two hero journeys, simultaneously. We get character arcs for both Jack and Tuck. The former learns to let loose and stop worrying, as he lives vicariously through Tuck, despite the latter literally living inside him.
Tuck, meanwhile, must learn to be less selfish and impulsive. His arc is less defined and effective, perhaps, but jumping between the two characters and having them play off each other, even when the actors rarely share screentime together, keeps the pace buoyant.
Also raising the film to another level is its cast, in general. Short and Quaid are great in the lead roles, even if Short plays things a little too large in places. However, it’s the supporting roles that make the film such a pleasure to watch. Meg Ryan hadn’t yet made it big, but you can see her finding herself here, with that charm she would exude in When Harry Met Sally two years later already shining through.
Then you’ve got Kevin McCarthy and Fiona Lewis having a lot of fun as the two main bad guys. Actually, Lewis might not have been having a good time. In reality, she didn’t enjoy the production and quit acting straight afterwards to focus on writing. Regardless, she’s a joy to watch on screen as the sadistic right-hand woman to McCarthy’s campy yet heartless tycoon.
But the fun doesn’t stop there. Robert Picardo is an absolute blast as ‘The Cowboy’, even if his South American (?) spin on the character might not pass muster in today’s more sensitive times. Vernon Wells plays the silent hitman, Mr. Igoe, with frightening relish. Plus, you’ve got minor roles from other great character actors (who had often worked with Dante before), like Wendy Schaal, Henry Gibson and Dick Miller.
The special effects hold up remarkably well, too, aided by the fact that almost everything was done practically. The great Dennis Muren led the team, and they rightfully won an Oscar for their troubles. The success of the effects is aided by the fact that they kept the body dark inside, which makes sense, of course. Compare this to the bright and colourful Fantastic Voyage (which has a similar concept that plays out very differently), and you can see it has aged far better.
I also like how the lab and much of the tech looked and felt real (at least the lab for the ‘good guys’, the other shown later on is a little more ‘80s fantasy’ in approach). Supposedly, they had Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists advising, and a handful of them were even used as extras.
The film does push the suspension of disbelief a little far in places – most notably in having the tech to change the appearance of Jack’s face. On top of it being rather ridiculous, there’s absolutely no reason for them to have that on the ship when the original mission was set for Tuck to go into a rabbit.
This is pointless nitpicking, though. Overall, Innerspace still plays like gangbusters. It’s a fast-paced, hugely entertaining romp with a great cast, amazing VFX and heaps of charm. It definitely lived up to my rose-tinted memory of the film.
Film: 
Innerspace is out on 27th April in the UK in separate UHD and Blu-Ray Limited Edition releases, courtesy of Arrow Video. I watched the UHD version, and I thought it looked incredible. The picture is pin-sharp and colours are wonderfully rich. For audio, you get to pick between 2.0, 4.1 or Dolby Atmos. I opted for 4.1 and thought it sounded great.
4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
– Brand new restoration from the original 35mm negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Joe Dante
– 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation 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
– Brand new audio commentary by film critic Drew McWeeny
– Archive audio commentary with director Joe Dante, producer Michael Finnell, visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren and actors Kevin McCarthy and Robert Picardo
– Shrinkage: The Making of Innerspace, a brand new hour-long documentary featuring newly filmed interviews with director Joe Dante, producer Michael Finnell, visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren, visual effects artists Harley Jessup and Bill George and actor Robert Picardo
– Behind the Scenes with Joe Dante, previously unseen video footage shot during the production of Innerspace
– Behind the Scenes at ILM, previously unseen footage shot by visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren during production
– Original storyboards
– Continuity and Behind the Scenes Polaroids
– Production stills gallery
– Posters and Promo stills gallery
– Theatrical trailer
– Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
– Double-sided fold-out poster featuring two original artwork options
– Collectors’ perfect-bound booklet featuring new writing by film critics Charlie Brigden, Michael Doyle, Josh Nelson, Jessica Scott and Andrea Subissati, a short guide to Joe Dante’s stock company by Scott Saslow, plus the original exhibitors pamphlet
* The Limited Edition Blu-ray release is the same but with a 1080p HD presentation of the film, of course, without Dolby Vision.
There are two commentaries. One features Dante and a host of cast and crew members. This is a lot of fun. They’re all together for the recording, it’s not one of those cut-and-paste jobs, so they bounce off each other nicely, talking with humour and warmth about the production. They provide a lot of interesting behind-the-scenes information, too.
The second track features Drew McWeeny. He talks passionately about the film and its qualities. He has some detailed information on how the visual effects were achieved, which is interesting, as well as general information on the cast and crew.
There’s also an hour-long documentary about the making of the film. This is great, covering a lot of ground and featuring interviews with a number of people involved in the production.
Finally, you get two 20-odd minute compilations of behind-the-scenes footage, one from the shoot and one from ILM’s special effects workshop. They’re both just made up of raw footage, but I like it that way. It feels like you’ve been invited to hang around during the production. Visiting ILM is like a childhood dream, and you catch glimpses of models from Back to the Future and Star Wars, on top of the Innerspace material.
I didn’t get a copy of the booklet or other physical extras to comment on those, unfortunately.
So, Arrow have put together a wonderful package for a film that deserves a little more love. Highly recommended.
Disc/Package: 
