Fantastic Voyage

The premise of "Fantastic Voyage" seemed very unlikely in 1966, however in 2002 I'm not so sure.

The story concerns a top secret miniaturization program being developed by the Americans and concurrently by "the other side". A scientist from the other side has the secret of counteracting the situation where the miniaturization effects wear off after one hour. Unfortunately, the scientist receives a brain injury in an assassination attempt. This results in General Carter (Edmond O'Brien), the commanding officer of the project deciding to "send in" a team of experts miniaturized, to the injured man's brain to repair the damage.

The team consists of Drs. Duval (Arthur Kennedy) and Michaels (Donald Pleasance), Pilot Capt. Owens (William Redfield) and the romantic leads, Grant (Stephen Boyd) and the ever lovely Raquel Welch as Duval's assistant. Assisting O'Brien as a medical expert is Arthur O'Connell as Col. Reid. Of course, as in most film's of this type there is the inevitable fifth columnist aboard. The acting is good, particluarly the performances of veterans Kennedy, Pleasance, O'Brien and O'Connell.

The real star of the "Fantastic Voyage" are its amazing special effects. Filmed long before today's computerized digital effects, this film still makes believable, the illusion of a team of people being injected into a person's bloodstream. To fully appreciate the effects the viewer should see it in its widescreen format.

Watch for James Brolin in a small role as one of the lab technicians. And if you get bored, there's always (snort, pant, drool) Raquel in her form fitting diving suit.

When I was a young lad, approximately 10 years of age, I was a tremendous big fan of a Sci-Fi comedy called "Innerspace", released in 1987 and starring Dennis Quaid and Martin Short. Little did I know back then that this movie was inspired and also - knowing the director Joe Dante – paying tribute to the 1966 groundbreaking adventure "Fantastic Voyage". You won't hear me state that this is a flawless masterpiece, or even that the special effects and visuals still look mesmerizing by today's standards, but it definitely still stands as one of the most imaginative and original Sci-Fi adventures ever made. The plot and futuristic world perspective of "Fantastic Voyage" are quite ambitious and grotesque, even for contemporary sixties standards, but that is probably what makes it so unique. I'm sure that, back in 1966, certain people honestly assumed that this type of scientific technology would be possible around the year 2000. The story actually is typical Sci- Fi fodder, only… completely different! Numerous movies of its kind revolve on an elite crew going on a dangerous expedition into the unfamiliar territories of outer space. Well, "Fantastic Voyage" revolves on an elite crew going on a dangerous expedition into the unfamiliar territories of INNER space! The titular fantastic voyage is, in fact, a journey inside the human body. When diplomat Jan Benes is nearly assassinated, a five-headed crew (2 doctors, a female assistant, a pilot and a safety guard) and their especially designed submarine are urgently miniaturized and injected into his comatose body in order to neutralize a lethal blood knot from inside his brains. They only have 60 minutes before the current miniaturization techniques abruptly stop working and they grow back to their normal size, so it's absolutely essential to succeed their mission because the patient is the only person who knows the secret to expand the miniaturization time! Okay, admittedly this last aspect of the plot is somewhat tacky, but don't allow it to ruin the fun! The biggest accomplishment of "Fantastic Voyage" is that Richard Fleischer, and of course his cast and crew, succeed in making our everyday human body equally mysterious and menacing as the outskirts of space … and even more so! The landscapes of the heart are more ominous than desolate planets, the cyclones in the lungs or tidal waves in the ear are heavy ordeals and our bodies' defense mechanisms are more aggressive than aliens. The story simultaneously also focuses on the search for a saboteur among the crew members, although it's fairly obvious from the beginning who this is (especially if you're a bit familiar with the oeuvres of the players). Raquel Welch's role is rather redundant, but she looks nice in her tight uniforms and her male colleagues were offered the unique occasion to fondle her boobs during one particular scene. Reading other reviews and posts on the message board around here, it seems that many people want this film to receive a remake. I, for one, don't agree. I would hate to see a fully computerized version of this film and will always prefer the charm and old-fashioned skills of classic Sci-Fi.

This movie holds up after nearly 35 years. The TV version is often chopped up for commercials and the print muddy, but if you can get a good video or see it on a premium movie channel, Fantastic Voyage will still produce a sense of wonder as you navigate "inside" an injured man's body with a team of intrepid explorers to find and repair microscopic damage. Some of the Cold War aspects of the film might jar, as well as a 35-year-old vision of "high tech", but the spec effects of the journey of the PROTEUS through the human vascular system was years ahead of its time.

To answer everyone's question about how did Issac Asimov resolve the Proteus issue at the end of the movie; in his novelization of the film (which is a very good sci-fi book on its own), the sub comes out with everyone else in the teardrop along with "a very surprised white blood cell." The scene with Donald Pleasance gave me chills when I saw it as a child and having recently seen it again, it still is creepy. I think this is due to Pleasance's performance more than anything else. I do have to say that seeing Stephen Boyd being driven around the LA Sports Center (subbing for the top secret research center; they had to have everything removed by 5:30 in the afternoon the week they filmed there because sporting events were going on at night) in a golf cart seemed a bit silly but I guess that showed how important he was. With these kinds of films, one has to ignore all certain types of questions about how come this did or didn't happen when the scientists did this and just relax and enjoy it.

This film was originally introduced to me at about 8 or 9 years of age on a Saturday afternoon and it quickly became a favorite of mine. This film tells the story of a brilliant scientist who is injured on his way to offer the U.S. military some much needed info for miniaturizing people and objects and allowing them to stay in the miniature state beyond the now 60 minute time limit the military is faced with. With a top-notch cast that includes; Stephen Boyd, Edmond O'Brien, Donald Pleasence and Raquel Welch as the medical Dr.'s and scientists that are miniaturized and injected into the scientists body in an effort to repair a wound that can't be fixed through the usual means. The effects in this film are truly amazing and make for a lot of fun as the sub/crew journey through the body and face problems along the way, especially as they are attacked as foreign bodies by the scientist's own natural defense system. If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing this little gem, by all means find it and rent it and if it's been a while, why not revisit this film, I'm amazed at how well it stands up, even after almost 40 years since it's release.