Innerspace

Summary

“Check the sink with the big fish in it… a bottle of Southern Comfort. Here’s what I want you to do… I want you to take a big old tug on that baby and I’ll do the rest.”

After the disappointing experience of being hamstrung during the making of the film Explorers, Joe Dante directed one of his best loved films – Innerspace. The film paired Dante with talented screenwriter Jeffrey Boam. Boam is probably best known for his script for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Boam rewrote a script by Chip Proser that was originally meant to be taken dead serious as a spy film. The original script would not have attracted Joe Dante to the film, but warmed to the rewrite of the film when it was pitched as “what would happen if Dean Martin was shrunken down and injected into Jerry Lewis?” Watching the film through that lens makes it an even more enjoyable experience. The film was not a huge success in the theaters due to an ineffective advertising campaign, but the film was a staple for most of the kids that I knew growing up. Joe mentioned in our interview that as time passes nobody remembers that that it was not incredibly successful at the theaters because it has become a beloved film over time. It is hard to believe that the film was not a blockbuster because of the A-list cast which features Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan, and Martin Short, but at the time two of the three actors were really just beginning their careers (Meg Ryan had been in Top Gun, Martin Short had been in ¡Three Amigos! and on SCTV, but Dennis Quaid had already starred in The Right Stuff and Breaking Away.) Luckily, thanks to VHS rentals and cable television, the film rightfully became well known and well loved.

As the film begins, Lieutenant Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid) drunkenly loses his cool at an awards ceremony decorating Navy pilots. After being thrown out, his girlfriend Lydia (Meg Ryan) takes him back home. In the morning, she leaves him via cab and he is left butt naked and alone in San Francisco. Later – in Silicon Valley- neurotic grocery bagger Jack Putter (Martin Short) visits with his doctor because he has had another nightmare. He is not very confident and  is fearful that he is in danger. Meanwhile, Tuck’s friend Pete is working on a secret project for the government. Coincidentally, Tuck is the pilot of the experiment. The goal is to shrink down Tuck inside of a small autonomous vehicle and insert him into a bunny rabbit. When the experiment occurs, the scientists are successful at shrinking down Tuck but the lab is attacked by a competing agency before Tuck can be injected into the rabbit. A scientist named Ozzie Wexler (John Hora) makes a mad dash with the syringe that carries Tuck. He makes his way all the way to a shopping mall with a mysterious villain named Mr. Igoe (Vernon Wells) chasing him. Mr. Igoe has a robotic hand that can shoot bullets and perform numerous other acts. At the mall the scientist is shot but he manages to bump into Jack and inserts the syringe into his leg. Unsure of where he is, Tuck connects himself to Jack’s ear and optical nerve and begins communicating with Jack. Tuck is running out of oxygen and must find a way to be released from Jacks body and brought back to full size before he expires. Meanwhile, the sinister agency led by Victor Eugene Scrimshaw attempts to find Jack and retrieve Tuck so that they can corner the market of miniaturization.

Innerspace holds up really well. The performances in the film are winning. The combination of Meg Ryan, Martin Short, and Dennis Quaid works very well with each actor playing to their respective strengths. Quaid plays the Dean Martin style role well and brings ample charm to the grinning drinking Tuck. Martin Short supplies his physical comedic abilities as needed. Meg Ryan is darling. The supporting players in the film are just as important. Robert Picardo steals every scene he is in as the Cowboy, which is a strange and hilarious character in the film. Kevin McCarthy is well cast as Victor Scrimshaw. Fiona Lewis is good as the villainous Dr. Canker. Most memorable is Vernon Wells as the robotic arm wielding Mr. Igoe.

The direction by Joe Dante is really impressive and very involved. There are a lot of pieces at play in the film in terms of action and physical comedy and they are all pulled off with grace. The cinematography is provided by Andrew Laszlo. Laszlo was a departure from Dante’s frequent collaborator John Hora, but Hora was actually cast as the scientist Ozzie Wexler. The cinematography in the film is impressive and the film fits in nicely with the other films in Joe Dante’s canon visually. The score by composer and frequent collaborator Jerry Goldsmith fits the film very well. It is one of his more exciting themes. The visual effects hold up well thanks to their reliance on practical effects and miniatures.

Innerspace is a strikingly original comedy that has deservedly gained an audience over the years. Fans of Joe Dante films will definitely want to add it to their collection.

Video

The Warner Bros. Blu-ray release from 2015 features a great looking transfer in 1.78:1 aspect ratio with an MPEG-4 AVC encode. The film has some really strong visuals thanks to the colorful cinematography by Andrew Laszlo. Since the majority of the film takes place in daylight, fine detail is very strong. The scenes of visual effects that take place within Tuck still hold up very well. There is a very fine grain lending the film a strong filmic quality. The film was released theatrically in 70mm in some markets and may account for why the film looks so great on Blu-ray. Fans will be very pleased.

Audio

Innerspace features a DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track that uses the surround effects pretty cleverly. This was put together from the original six track mix used theatrically. The score by frequent collaborator Jerry Goldsmith is very well composed. Dialogue is clear. I can’t think of any reason why a fan would be disappointed with this track. Warner knows what they are doing and didn’t drop the ball here.

Supplements:

• Commentary with Director Joe Dante, Producer Michael Finnell, Effects Supervisor Dennis Muren and Actors Kevin McCarthy and Robert Picardo: This commentary was featured on the 2002 DVD release. Dante and Finnell discuss lots of the thoughts that went into the production of the film and numerous technical aspects of the production. Muren gives great perspective on the visual effects in the film. Actors Kevin McCarthy and Robert Picardo are enjoyable in the latter part of the track.
• Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements- 3/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Innerspace has steadily gained a strong reputation over the years for being a truly original comedy. The film should have been a huge success given the fantastic cast, but the advertising of the film dropped the ball. Luckily, it became a staple on Cable television and is now as well known as many of Joe Dante’s other films. The Warner Blu-ray looks and sounds great. The audio commentary from the 2002 DVD release is essential listening for fans of the film. Highly recommended.