We open up on the American dream... a man and his wife on a leisurely cruise in his brother's boat, living the upper-middle class life, joking about their roles in the world to each other and generally just happily taking everything for granted. Then, while the wife goes to get the man a beer (don't worry, they debated it first), a strange fog rolls over.
Months later, the man begins inexplicably to shrink, and suddenly his life is changed. The audience traces his journey as previous obstacles are overcome by shrinking, only to provide newer "big" obstacles in the process.
The story is relatively well thought-out, commenting a lot about alienation pre-popular counterculture. "Different? Isn't that just another word for alone?" says the protagonist to the only person who can nearly relate to his situation, a circus midget. As he shrinks more, so seems his ego, as he gets increasingly more melancholy until finally, he's small enough that pure material need wins out over human emotional dilemma.
The acting in this movie is sufficient. It gets rather melodramatic at times and, along with the overly dramatic score, can sometimes breach the level of interest and become laughable. The special effects, mostly double-exposure, are sufficient sometimes but sometimes so obvious it's hard to believe the action. Considering the times, I suppose it's really good, but keep in mind that our modern era of special effects existing in even the most minute of situations will probably still view this movie as hugely lacking, despite how much you want to forgive them.
In general, this film is great for science fiction enthusiasts and b-movie classics geeks. As for its commentary, it certainly is interesting. The story and production itself may be a little difficult to get into, but it's worth the watch and definitely worth the time.
--PolarisDiB
Months later, the man begins inexplicably to shrink, and suddenly his life is changed. The audience traces his journey as previous obstacles are overcome by shrinking, only to provide newer "big" obstacles in the process.
The story is relatively well thought-out, commenting a lot about alienation pre-popular counterculture. "Different? Isn't that just another word for alone?" says the protagonist to the only person who can nearly relate to his situation, a circus midget. As he shrinks more, so seems his ego, as he gets increasingly more melancholy until finally, he's small enough that pure material need wins out over human emotional dilemma.
The acting in this movie is sufficient. It gets rather melodramatic at times and, along with the overly dramatic score, can sometimes breach the level of interest and become laughable. The special effects, mostly double-exposure, are sufficient sometimes but sometimes so obvious it's hard to believe the action. Considering the times, I suppose it's really good, but keep in mind that our modern era of special effects existing in even the most minute of situations will probably still view this movie as hugely lacking, despite how much you want to forgive them.
In general, this film is great for science fiction enthusiasts and b-movie classics geeks. As for its commentary, it certainly is interesting. The story and production itself may be a little difficult to get into, but it's worth the watch and definitely worth the time.
--PolarisDiB