Innerspace
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Synopsis
From director Joe Dante (Gremlins, The 'Burbs) and producer Steven Spielberg (Poltergeist, Back to the Future) comes Innerspace, an action-comedy adventure that will turn your world inside out!
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!
With Dante's unique mix of wit, charm and screwball action, as well as extraordinary Oscar-winning visual effects, Innerspace is a beloved classic of 80s cinema that remains as funny and exciting as ever in this brand new 4K restoration.
Picture 8/10
Arrow Video brings Innerspace to 4K UHD, presenting the film with Dolby Vision in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on a triple-layer disc. The 2160p/24hz ultra high-definition presentation is sourced from a brand new 4K restoration performed by Arrow, scanned (at least primarily) from the 35mm original camera negative. No standard high-definition presentation is included.
Arrow’s new presentation is a rather staggering upgrade over Warner Bros.’ Blu-ray, which appears to stem from the same 2001 master created for the DVD. That release was serviceable for its time, but this new presentation is significantly sharper, offering a substantial boost in fine detail along with a far more natural and prominent film texture, supported by a strong base scan and a solid encode. Film grain is more visible and generally very clean, though a handful of shots come off slightly dupey. Surprisingly, that dupey texture is not limited to optical effects shots, which, to their credit, resolve very well overall. Fine textures are notably better as well, from the wear on a leather jacket to the gooey interiors of the film’s hapless hero.
HDR proves especially beneficial in rendering those interiors, with the miniature pod’s illumination coming through beautifully. Even in sequences that lean softer or dupey, these effects-heavy moments hold up impressively, with strong shadow definition and excellent range in the blacks, while grain remains generally clean. The expanded range also enhances the film’s dimly lit environments: console lights pop nicely in the dimly lit pod (light reflecting beautifully off of Quaid's face), as do spotlights in a club sequence. Highlights appear clean, with no obvious artifacts. Colors largely align with previous home video presentations, though with a less pronounced magenta push, resulting in better skin tones and whites. Hues can be wonderfully vivid when called for, the red sports car belonging to Dennis Quaid’s character standing out in particular, likewise the neon accents and spotlights in that aforementioned club scene. There’s also a striking shot of a lone desk in an empty loft bathed in violet light.
In the end, Arrow has done a terrific job, delivering a substantial improvement over the previous Blu-ray. The image is cleaner, richer in detail, and far more film-like overall.
Audio 8/10
Arrow includes three audio options: a lossless PCM stereo track, a DTS-HD MA 4.1 surround track, and a Dolby Atmos remix. Warner’s previous 5.1 remix has not been carried over.
I sampled both the DTS-HD MA and Atmos tracks, and in either case found them more than suitable. The 4.1 presentation keeps most of the audio anchored to the front soundstage, with music and select ambient effects extending into the rears. The Atmos track opens things up a bit more and occasionally takes a more creative approach, though in practice it doesn’t feel dramatically different from a strong 5.1-style presentation (though that may come down to my setup, which only includes front Atmos speakers).
Either way, overall audio quality is excellent, offering strong range across both low and high frequencies. Dialogue remains crisp and clear with solid fidelity throughout. In the end, both tracks serve the film well, though I suspect I’ll be sticking with the 4.1 option going forward.
Extras 8/10
This is a film I’ve loved since first seeing it as a kid, and one I’ve revisited across multiple home video formats, so it’s always been a bit surprising that it was a box office dud. That likely explains why Warner Bros. never gave it the special edition treatment it arguably deserved. Beyond the original trailer (also included here), their previous releases only ever offered an audio commentary recorded in 2002, which Arrow thankfully ports over. Joe Dante, producer Michael Finnell, VFX supervisor Dennis Muren, and actors Kevin McCarthy and Robert Picardo (the latter joining once his character appears) deliver a surprisingly informative and engaging track, covering the production and especially the effects work in great detail. The practical effects discussion is particularly fascinating, even touching on how the film might be approached today with CGI. Dante also reflects on the film’s poor box office, placing much of the blame on the studio’s uncertainty in marketing it—caught somewhere between comedy and sci-fi adventure. McCarthy occasionally chimes in with questions about what’s onscreen, while Picardo discusses his performance as the Cowboy, including the unusual task of effectively playing Martin Short’s character when he's disguised as the Cowboy.
It remains a terrific track; fast-paced, detailed, and always engaging. Arrow also adds a new commentary featuring film critic Drew McWeeny, who expands on some of the same material from a third-party perspective. He dives further into the effects work and production challenges, along with casting what-ifs and comparisons to Dante’s broader filmography. It’s a solid addition, though it leans more toward appreciation than offering substantial new insights.
Arrow has also produced a new 59-minute documentary, Shrinkage: The Making of “Innerspace”, featuring interviews with Dante, Muren, Finnell, Picardo, and effects artists Harley Jessup and Bill George. While there’s some overlap with the commentaries, it offers more on the project’s early development and Dante’s initial hesitation that carried on through into production, particularly around having to work with a with crew members he had not worked with before. There’s also a strong focus on maintaining the right tonal balance, ensuring the effects played things straight while the humor came from the performances. The documentary gets into the technical side as well, with helpful behind-the-scenes footage illustrating how the effects were created and the challenges faced.
That footage is also presented separately, broken out into two substantial pieces: 23 minutes of general behind-the-scenes material and 20 minutes filmed at Industrial Light & Magic. The former, some of it shot by McCarthy, largely covers the ice truck sequence, capturing Dante and the crew at work, along with Martin Short’s typically energetic presence. It also includes a real gem: a portion of McCarthy’s full speech from inside the truck (mostly unheard in the final film) which Dante notes during the commentary was scripted but ultimately lost in the mix.
The ILM footage, shot by Muren during a visit, is the real highlight. It showcases props, rigs (including the “blood tunnel”), and design work, along with a look at one of the film’s later sequences as it’s being constructed (I won't spoil it for newcomers). Amusingly, it also captures glimpses of work on what appears to be Back to the Future Part II and even some Star Wars models. It’s fantastic material, and I'm genuinely surprised it never appeared on earlier releases because it's all quite good.
The disc also includes several slideshow galleries: storyboards (8 minutes), Polaroids and continuity (10 minutes), production stills (14 minutes), and a brief poster gallery (under 2 minutes), the latter highlighting some of the less flattering marketing art, including a dreadful, cartoon style one one involving the pod exiting Martin Short's mouth. It's draw-droppingly terrible.
This limited edition also comes with a double-sided poster featuring original artwork, along with a 58-page booklet. It opens with an essay by Andrea Subissati reflecting on the film’s box office failure and analyzing what possibly turned away audiences, followed by pieces from Josh Nelson (on Martin Short as the film’s true hero), Jessica Scott (on Dante’s cartoon sensibilities), Charlie Brigden (on Jerry Goldsmith’s score and its own cartoon sensibilities), and a reprinted interview with Dante conducted by Michael Doyle. A highlight is a section on “Dante’s Players,” profiling his regular collaborators, including McCarthy, Picardo, Dick Miller, and Henry Gibson (among others), before closing with a reprint of the exhibitor’s pamphlet.
It’s an excellent booklet overall, though I do wish some of the material, like the Looney Tunes connections, had been explored through visual essays. The lack of more academic, on-disc supplements is a minor disappointment, but taken as a whole, this is a long-overdue special edition, with the new documentary and archival footage standing out as the major highlights.
Closing
A terrific upgrade over Warner’s previous releases, this disc delivers a strong slate of special features alongside a wonderful new 4K presentation.
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