In Joe Dante’s astounding adventure, a shrunken Dennis Quaid is put in Martin Short’s body, forcing the pair to work together to get Quaid out and stop a hilarious set of villains. 1987’s Innerspace hits 4kUHD & Blu-Ray via Arrow Video this week.
The Film
I love Joe Dante. But, as a long-time fan, I’m sad to say this is my first time catching 1987’s Innerspace! Somehow, this incredibly fun, over-the-top, utterly joyful adventure of size and space has escaped me for now. Although I did own a DVD set of 80s Dennis Quaid sci-fi/fantasy adventures with this and Dreamscape back in the day, I never saw either. Glad to finally see it, and in such a great method as Arrow’s new 4k and Blu-ray. Innerspace is a comic blast. A humorous riff on the Fantastic Voyage concept, Joe Dante’s film fires on all cylinders as pilot Dennis Quaid helps Martin Short, the human he’s stuck within, escape from villainous forces (including Robert Picardo and Kevin McCarthy, both living it up!) with the help of Meg Ryan. A treasure trove of special effects and big comic action, it’s a lot to love.
Everyone’s in top form, leaning into anything they’ve been typecast for with a zesty energy. That starts with Joe Dante. What I love about Dante is his giddy joy in the pure entertainment of movies, and how that shines through the silver screen. That’s why he works so well with Corman, for his start with Piranha, and Spielberg with Gremlins, Explorers, this, and The ‘Burbs (not to mention listening to him on Trailers from Hell or in various documentaries). He gets the sort of old-fashioned gee-shucks adventure of watching something wonderful mixed with his Looney Tunes sensibilities (his Looney Tunes: Back in Action is woefully underappreciated). He directs Innerspace with a sense of control of all the moving parts, keeping it a peppy and fun adventure with a Spielbergian sense of “wow” as he did the kid alien adventure of Explorers and the winky horrors of Burbs and Gremlins.
In front of the camera, Dennis Quaid leans into the dashing, but troubled, hero type, filled with a bravado that, while it might be tarnished with alcoholism and regret, still shines as a chisel-jawed foil to his main cast mate and body sharer, Martin Short. Short, a gifted physical comedian, gets to do some of his best work as the nervous grocery store clerk, dealing with a miniature man (or two!) and the physical ailments that come with that. Meg Ryan, using her sheer America’s Sweetheart to its best effect in one of her earliest roles, carries the emotional heft and, while often playing the receiver of Quaid and Short’s antics, acquits herself wonderfully. Let’s not forget Dante’s best regular, outside of the Dick Miller cameo, in Robert Picardo. Picardo, as a hired goon known as The Cowboy, is having his best life, working the silly and over-the-top. Big fun in another awesome goon in Vernon Wells. Keep an eye out for a few of Short’s SCTV friends in cameos. And can’t forget Kevin McCarthy as the villain. With this and UHF, he’s awesome at this sort of thing, with the Snidley Whiplash villainy energy. I want to give a special shout-out to John Hora as hapless scientist Ozzie. Normally a cinematopher (often with Dante), he was replaced by Andrew Laszlo, but Spielberg and Dante thought he’d be perfect. And he was. Love the guy.
Innerspace is a series of fantastic and fantastical escapades. As all these forces move in (literally) and around one another, each sequence stands on its own for a big laugh and moment. All buoyed by the Oscar-winning special effects by Dennis Muren (love that guy; he and his ILM friends brought us our childhoods. Check out Light & Magic on Disney+ to see firsthand). Love all the practicals, whether it be how Short has to deal with shifts (helped by Rob Bottin prosthetics) or Quaid throughout Short’s body, it’s all part of Dante’s brand of fun. Heh, it just occurred to me that Innerspace and Ant-Man both take place in San Francisco. Major shrinkage, including a hilarious 3rd act of shorter stature, by the bay.
Innerspace, directed by Joe Dante, is a fun family flick, joining other Amblin adventures like Back to the Future, The Goonies, and *Batteries Not Included. I miss this sort of sheer entertainment. Yes, I know it still exists, but it brings me back to being a child of the 80s and seeing its contemporaries at the time of release or nearabout.
The Package
Arrow offers Innerspace in either 4k or Blu-ray, on a single disc. The disc image is of the ship somewhere in Martin Short. It fits in a black 4K UHD case. The sleeve is reversible with original art on one side and new art from Doug John Miller on the other. It includes a double-sided poster as well, with a different new art piece. The outer box holds it all together.
The Presentation
Gotta love an effects-heavy film getting a great transfer. A new restoration by Arrow, approved by Dante, looks awesome. Sometimes these sorts of films lose the cinematic joy in seeing all the seams, but it adds and enhances the experience; nothing is lost with additional clarity. The effects translate beautifully. Now we all know what it feels like to be in Martin Short. The audio is restored with the options of 2.0 original, a 70mm 6-track mix in 4.0, and Dolby Atmos. Sounds wonderful. It has English subtitles.
The Features
Innerspace may follow a little Dennis Quaid in an already small Martin Short, but it’s a big release from Arrow. So much is from Joe Dante’s personal effects, and he’s all over the new documentary. Glad to have Dante so involved. All in English with no subtitles.
Commentaries
#1 – Joe Dante, producer Michael Finnell, Dennis Muren, Robert Picardo, and Kevin McCarthy (archival)
-A great track, getting into the small (heh) details in every way. They’re having fun, and talking about all the fun they had, and it comes through. The production had ups and downs (mostly on release), and they’re honest with it, but the movie is awesome and has held up, finding an audience on video, so it’s all good.
#2- Film Critic Drew McWeeney
McWeeney takes a wider stance, talking about Innerspace from a step back to speak to the culture around and since, details of creation the top set didn’t get into and works in tandem with the other set. He’s fascinating to listen to.
Shrinkage: The Making of Innerspace (new)
A fully encompassing documentary bringing in everyone still alive, except the main three actors (but Picardo gives enough juice to run over that bump). It gives a visual of what the commentaries went to, with fantastic insight into the whole process. I’m even more impressed by the effects and camera tricks seen in this way.(57m)
Behind-the-Scenes (new to this release, but filmed on set in 1986/1987)
1- Joe Dante’s own video footage of folks hanging out on set, mostly during the kidnapping sequence. Seemed like great fun, a joy. (23m)
2- Dennis Muren’s footage working at ILM on the film (with a bit of Back to the Future). Awesome to see the geniuses at work (again, check out Light & Magic for HOURS of this). (20m)
Image Galleries (1986/1987; new to this release)
Unlike most image galleries, which are click-through images, these are presented as regular videos. So I’m not sure how many each section has, but they are plentiful. I’d estimate about 12 per minute, if that helps.
1- Original Storyboards (8m)
2- Continuity and Behind-the-Scenes Polaroids, courtesy of Joe Dante (10m)
3- Production stills gallery (14m)
4- Posters and Promo stills gallery (2m)
Trailer
Yes, they are right in the other features: this does not sell the movie well.
Booklet
A bound 58-page booklet with lots to love. Four essays! An interview with Joe Dante! A breakdown of Dante’s repeated actors (DICK FREAKIN’ MILLER), the original exhibitor’s pamphlet! Amazing work, heaping love on the film and its people, but still with the critical/essay eye.
Final Thought
As should be clear by now, I loved this movie and wish I had seen it long ago. As a child of 1982, I should have. But thanks to Arrow for continually reissuing the 80s to our homes. A great transfer for a fun movie, and a load of features: enough to fill several Martin Shorts. Highly recommended.