The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

9/10

random_avenger22 July 2010

When a businessman Scott Carey (Grant Williams) is infected by a mysterious cloud of mist on a boating vacation, little does he know how his life and whole way of existing are about to change. After six months of normal life he notices he has lost a little weight and height, and that this strange loss of size is continuous. He keeps growing smaller and smaller every day, to the amazement of doctors and to the chagrin of his wife (Randy Stuart). Soon everyday things become grave dangers to him and he has to completely let go of his old way of comprehending his place in life.

The over-sized props and the creative trick photography that is used to create the illusion of shrinking must have looked absolutely stunning in the 1950s when the film first came out, because they still look impressive when I'm typing this in 2010. Carey's struggles with unexpected sources of terror like a cat, a mousetrap or a spider haven't lost any of their charm over the decades: they are still edge-of-your-seat suspense, and I'm not saying this as any kind of affirmative action in favour of old movies – I genuinely haven't been this thrilled by a movie in a long time! Besides the visual effects, the riveting music is also perfectly in tune with the thrilling style of the film.

Even though the film can easily be enjoyed as a great sci-fi suspense film, there's also a deeper, more personal level to it. Carey truly develops as a character over the course of the film. He is aware of his frustration and changing moods and scolds himself for being rude to his wife and not being able to take the new challenges bravely head-on. The sense of loneliness, created excellently with beautiful black & white cinematography and camera angles, has been said to mirror the fearful atmosphere of the Cold War and the nuclear era. This is a valid interpretation, but it's also possible to see Carey's journey as a symbol of Man's existential despair and feelings of inadequacy in life that is seemingly normal and mundane. The grandiose finale provides a majestic ending for the tale of new-found self-esteem; all my worries about a predictably tacked-on happy ending were proved unnecessary.

I wrote this review immediately after seeing the film for the first time. These words came out completely without effort and that is, to me, a sign of an honestly compelling cinematic experience. The Incredible Shrinking Man is a delight to watch, not the least bit goofy or dated like some other old sci-fi films. I recommend it for every fan of the genre, admirers of imaginative special effects and anyone interested in existential character studies.

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8/10

It's About Our Human Condition

Hitchcoc28 March 2006

This movie, with it's silly 1950's title, is a great work of the mind as it fathoms the universe. It's about a man, an ordinary man, who, after an astronomical event, begins to become smaller. Unlike so many cheesy films, his clothes don't get smaller along with him. Richard Matheson considered all the implications of a shrinking man along with all the forces that would work against him. Our power is often dictated by our size, so this man finds himself having to fear things that he previously took for granted. We can only imagine what was going to happen down the road. The sad fact that he must live in a doll's house, without hope, to be forsaken pretty much by the humans who have left him, is very depressing. There are the usual things, being chased by a cat, fighting with a spider, having objects like pencils and common pins become huge to him. The ending, however, is what puts this beyond anything that has been done since. It's a look at the hugeness of the universe and the relative tininess of our own earth in the scheme of things. It really has a positive side. This man has dignity and, while he doesn't know what is coming, he knows that the great order of the universe gives him a position in it.

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9/10

Incredible indeed.

dbdumonteil17 April 2002

Along with "invasion of the body snatchers"(1956) "forbidden planet"(1956) and "the fly" (1958),the best movie sci-fi offered in the fifties.

Richard Matheson's remarkable novel was adapted by himself,thus the movie is an accurate rendition.Differences are kept to the minimum,and are probably due to censorship:one character,the pedophile,who wants to take the hero to his home has been removed and the relationship with Clarice remains platonic.Besides,Matheson focuses here on the second part of his novel,which takes place in the basement.

The special effects are absolutely stunning for the time ,but what's the most extraordinary is that they take a back seat to the hero's frames of mind:the voice-over is never redundant and Matheson's brilliant lines,a thousand miles above the B-movie level,perfectly convey his hero's plight."Arachnophobia"(1990),with a much more comfortable budget pales into insignificance when you've seen Grant Williams'fight with the spider.The doll house,the scenes with the midgets,the metaphysical final are as awesome today as they were half a century ago.Do not miss the cast and credits at the beginning either. During its second half,except for the voice-over,the movie is almost silent and Jack Arnold sustains the interest with only one character.

With its inexorable progression -the hero slowly becoming on his own-,its first-class screenplay and a fine direction by Jack Arnold,who could ask for a remake? This movie and the three I mention above are genuine classics,they have in common fears hidden in collective unconscious.

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10/10

Transcendental

LomzaLady19 October 2005

The best sci/fi movie of the 50s. It's different from most others in that it has a theme; it's not just a series of scary and threatening events. The smaller Scott Carey gets, the braver and more resourceful he becomes. As he shrinks, he reaches a kind of spiritual enlightenment.

The only sour note (besides the special effects, which may seem primitive by today's digital standards, but which I, as an 8-year-old in 1957, seeing this for the first time, thought were astounding) is the scene with the Little People. The metaphor of "you are as big as you feel" is laid on pretty thick, and that particular set of special effects (especially that big coffee cup Clarice drinks out of) didn't fool me, even as an 8-year-old. Incidentally, up until recently, TV showings of this movie usually cut that scene out, although the names of the actors who played the Little People were left in the end of movie credits.

However, the point is well taken, and Scott realizes that as his physical size decreases, his mental and spiritual powers are increasing. The final scenes are a testament to Transcendentalism. For example, Scott says in the narration that he no longer hates the spider who has been threatening him during his imprisonment in the cellar. He understands that it has as much right to survive as he has. In Transcendental terms, he is saying that existence is neither good nor evil, it simply "is." (Do people in California really have tarantulas in their cellars?) The wonderful last scene, where Scott (the absolutely gorgeous Grant Williams), bruised, battered, exhausted, looks up at the heavens and is no longer afraid, is one of the most empowering scenes in all cinema. This man has been so beaten down by fate that he is literally disappearing, and yet he affirms existence, and resolutely continues to move forward to whatever that next plane of existence may be. This ending is a far cry from the usual finales of sci/fi films of the 50s, where destruction is generally the resolution of the crisis. Here, there is no destruction, only transcendence. I never get tired of this film.

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10/10

My favorite '50s sci fi movie

andyman61824 August 2003

This has always been one of my favorite science fiction/horror movies from the 1950s.

This is an existential science fiction movie. Man alone against the universe is always a powerful topic, and writer Richard Matheson, who adapted his own novel for the screen, does an admirable job. Grant Williams' character isn't fighting aliens or demons, but rather the extraordinary circumstance of his mysterious shrinking, and the unforeseen consequences of his ever-dwindling size.

I love the fight with the spider, but my favorite part of the movie is the final monologue. It adds another half a star to an already extraordinary film.

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7/10

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) ***

Bunuel19769 July 2005

I finally caught up with Jack Arnold's most highly-regarded piece of science fiction, and I have to say that I agree it's his most accomplished work.

True, the plot isn't terribly original (how about THE DEVIL-DOLL [1936], which I watched again right after, and DR. CYCLOPS [1940], for starters, not to mention the 'little people' of BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN [1935]?) but none of the others quite touched upon the psychology of its admittedly fantastic situation, let alone treat it with such intelligence, sensitivity and, ultimately, persuasion. Legendary author Richard Matheson is to be congratulated for his truly excellent script, as should be Arnold for putting his ideas on the screen with such vividness and imagination. Special mention must go too to Grant Williams for his fine performance; Jack Arnold seemed to think it was worthy of an Oscar and I can't say I disagree!

It was interesting to see that the title character's peculiar affliction effected him gradually and not all at once; the fact that this was caused by exposure to radiation must have struck a note of panic amid contemporary anxiety-ridden audiences (this was the Cold War era, after all) and, in any case, it was inevitable that such 'monstrous' radiation effects (as seen mutating various forms of animal life on the screens of 1950s America) would not spare man himself in the long run. An episode featuring sideshow midgets, with whom The Shrinking Man seems to identify for a little while, is quite moving - as is his jealous possessiveness of his wife who he suspects wants to abandon him.

Despite the low budget, the film's special effects are terrific and the second half of the story basically resolves itself into a struggle for survival for our unfortunate hero as he has to battle various elements (the family cat, a spider, water, the re-dimension of objects around him, his own weakness due to hunger) which a normal person would more or less take for granted.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN - though I must say that Matheson's bleak yet strangely affecting ending blew me away, giving the film an intellectual resonance lacking in most films of its type and period.

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8/10

An Unbeatable Sci-Fi Classic!

hokeybutt14 May 2005

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (4 outta 5 stars) Not many of those hokey-looking old sci-fi movies from the '50s are still as effective 50 years later... but this one definitely hasn't lost any of its power. Great script written by Richard Matheson, who later went on to do much good work for "The Twilight Zone" and even today is still producing scripts for such films as "Stir of Echoes" and "What Dreams May Come". The story is fairly simple- after passing through a mysterious cloud on the ocean, our hero Scott (Grant Williams) discovers that his clothes seem to start feeling looser. More time passes and he discovers that he is now shorter than his wife. Day after day, he becomes smaller and smaller until he becomes so small that an ordinary housecat becomes a terrifying threat to his very life. The special effects might seem unconvincing to modern eyes... but the otherwise high-quality of the editing and direction make the action scenes as effective and suspenseful as anything you likely to see spewed out by today's CGI factories. I was totally unprepared for the ending of this film... you'd never see a movie end this way nowadays... but you never too many of them end this way back in the '50s either! A classic!

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A Film That Keeps Getting Better with Age

Michael_Elliott13 March 2018

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Scott Carey (Grant Williams) has his world fall apart when he suddenly realizes that he seems to be losing too much weight. At first he and his wife (Randy Stuart) joke it off as he's not eating enough but then they realize that he's also getting smaller. The medical field is at a loss and before long Scott is just larger than a nail and finds himself in for the fight of his life.

Jack Arnold's THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN is an incredibly entertaining gem that manages to get better each time I revisit it. It's funny but as a kid this here really wasn't one of my favorite Universal films but the older I get the more I appreciate the story from Richard Matheson and the fact that he and Arnold weren't afraid to make it a rather bleak subject. I certainly won't ruin the ending but anyone who has seen the movie will certainly be blown away by it.

There are all sorts of great things in this movie but for me the highlight was the battle in the film, which happens when Scott gets stuck in the basement and his wife thinks that he is dead. There are several different obstacles that Scott must overcome in the basement and the adventure that he goes on is full of wonderful action scenes as well as some terrific suspense built up by the director. The score is quite riviting and adds to the tension as our shrinking man must battle one thing after another.

The special effects for 1957 are quite excellent, although they do show their age today. With that said, the story by Matheson is just so believable that the viewer has no problem getting sucked into it and the adventure. Another major plus is that Williams is so good in his role and he helps carry you along with everything that his character goes through. Throw in the wonderful cinematography, the interesting use of science and you're really got a nice little gem that continues to get better as the years go by.

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7/10

Horrifyingly inevitable sci-fi with imaginative touches gracing a cheap production

Nazi_Fighter_David30 September 2005

Warning: Spoilers

The plot is simple: after being exposed to a mysterious, possibly radioactive mist, a man finds he is slowly but inexorably diminishing in size His pride, job, marriage and, finally, his very life are threatened as his relation to the world about him changes daily A cellar floor becomes a stark desert where giant insects hunt prey and the only food consists of rock-like crumbs of stale cheese left in mousetraps

Arnold's expert use of huge sets and props provides excitement, but it is the philosophical script that supplies its rare power: complacent modern man, forced back on his primitive wits simply to survive, finally discovers hope, peace and meaning in the realization that everything in the cosmos, however small or insignificant, has its own place and worth

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9/10

Thoughtful Sci-Fi

mermatt7 March 2001

Instead of the typical blood and gore screaming sensationalism of many 1950s sci-fi films, this is an amazingly well thought-out film that is underplayed and even philosophical.

There are some amusing moments in the film, such as when we discover Scott in a dollhouse, but much of the story is handled seriously -- the topics of being different, surviving in an unsympathetic world, crass commercialism, and loneliness are well portrayed.

The theme of the film is what is really amazing. Despite the rather schlocky title, we are given a view of humanity's place in the universe. The final sequence is an imaginative portrait of the balance between the macrocosm and the microcosm.

The film is more than it first appears. Definitely see this one.

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6/10

Incredible special effects....best sci-fi thriller of its kind...

Doylenf1 September 2006

In an era when sci-fi flicks were becoming so popular (THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS), this was always one of my favorites. There's a "Twilight Zone" feeling about this kind of story and it's done very effectively.

Handsome, sensitive GRANT WILLIAMS had only a brief fling at a few more big screen films before he went back to TV, where he started, and spent the rest of his career in a variety of classic old-time television shows and a string of other detective or western yarns. He was a competent actor, convincing here as the hero who shrinks to the point where he has to fend off a feisty house cat and even further to the extent that he lives in a doll house.

The chase by the house cat into the cellar leads to the film's big set piece, where his diminutive size challenges him to a struggle for survival among larger than life objects, including a spider intent on making him its prey. He manages to deal with his obstacle course in very resourceful ways because, as small as he is, he still has a man's brain. This leads to some philosophical voice-over narration which makes the whole story seem a level higher than the usual science fiction stories with happy endings.

This still holds fascination for viewers today with its very clever use of over-sized sets to give the illusion he is shrinking at a rapid rate. Produced on a modest budget, it was a huge success and remains a cult classic today. It borders on Ray Bradbury type of fiction and is well worth viewing, lasting a brisk one hour and twenty-one minutes.

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10/10

Astounding

twanurit9 April 2004

This is simply a superb science-fiction drama of a couple's prosperous 1950s world turned upside down. Vacationing on a boat, while the wife Louise (Randy Stuart) is below deck, husband Scott Carey (Grant Williams) above becomes exposed to a radioactive mist, that changes his body's metabolism ("anti-cancer"). Critics question why the mist did not affect others, including the wife, but the doctor's (Raymond Bailey) explanation later is that Carey was accidentally previously exposed to insecticides, the 2 compounds in his system reacted together to create the phenomenon. (This idea was used in "The Leech Woman" - 1960, also with Williams, where fluid from a male pineal gland had to be mixed with a floral powder to achieve youth). As a kid, I was in awe with the attacks from an ordinary cat and a spider, but as an adult, one feels great sympathy for this character, and his family. Williams, a handsome Nordic blonde, gives a beautiful performance, and narrates over much of the film which later has no dialogue, but greatly aided by a magnificent score; the title piece is haunting with its Trumpet solo set against an advancing cloud that gets bigger while the human frame dwindles. Stuart is terrific as the suffering wife, faintly resembling Dinah Shore, she even co-starred with Shore's ex-husband George Montgomery in the following year's "Man From God's Country" - 1958, her last film. April Kent (daughter of actress June Havoc, did she have a sister named May?) is warm and sympathetic in her two scenes playing a midget (although not) when Williams is 3 feet high, a poignant interlude. The special effects are supremely done. The first 3 words of the title have become part of our culture, even recently a major magazine heading stated "The Incredible Shrinking..." on its cover. Director Jack Arnold paces beautifully, Richard Matheson script is intelligent and the closing scenes have a soaring, wondrous quality that few films have ever matched.

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7/10

One of the better 50's sci-fi films

grahamsj328 July 2003

Warning: Spoilers

It's horribly unfair to judge a film made nearly 50 years ago since we all expect so much from films now. This was a product of the late 50's and yet still holds up fairly well, even today. The acting of that time, especially in films like this one, tended to be a little overdone and this one's no exception. The acting is better than could be expected despite the fact that there were no big-name actors in this film at all. The props were extremely important, and everything seemed just the right size. As the main character got smaller, everyday objects had to get bigger in relation to him. This film is entirely about perspective, and the director managed to capture it pretty well. For their day, the special effects are also pretty good. Overall, I'd give this film a solid 7.

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4/10

Passable sci-fi but with a woeful ending

dfle323 April 2009

Saw this black and white movie on commercial free network TV here in Australia some months back. The only reason I'm reviewing it is because I want to mention the ending, without giving away any spoilers.

Perhaps this movie can be viewed as symptomatic of human anxiety in the age of the atomic bomb and the possibility of the annihilation of civilisation. In any case, the story begins with a married couple holidaying on boat, in some idyllic location. The husband is exposed to some weird mist. After the couple return home, the husband starts to diminish in size...alarmingly.

This movie is in black and white, and has some reasonable special effects for the time...ordinary insects assume giant dinosaur proportions and pose a threat to the life of the husband.

Really, you wonder where the movie is heading...until the ending. Can't tell you how annoying that ending was...you sort of feel sucked in for having sat through it. Won't give away what happens, but the ending is symptomatic of a kind of American state of mind. If you are American, you may enjoy the movie all the more for this ending. But as a non-American, I sort of felt violated for having been conned (so to speak) into watching this kind of movie. You see the ending and think: "So THIS is what the movie was about, all along?".

Perhaps if you like this movie, you may want to view a film from a similar era...I saw it as "The man with the x-ray eyes", though it goes by other titles, like "X", or "X: The man with x-ray eyes". This movie does have some overlap with the kind of element that annoyed me so much with "The incredible shrinking man", but it was a less ham-fisted foray into this domain.

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8/10

Gripping fantastic classic about a good guy exposed a rare mist and then suffers a mysterious shrinkage

ma-cortes13 July 2011

A Sci-Fi masterpiece stunningly mounted and directed . Almost beyond the imagination . . A strange adventure into the unknown ! . After being contaminated by what may or not to be radioactive mist , a good man finds himself turning smaller and steadily shedding the inches and pounds until he reaches actually minuscule proportions . A suburban husband named Scott Carey (Grant Williams) begins to shrink because of exposure to a combination of radiation and insecticide and medics (William Schallert) are powerless to help him . He becomes a media darling but starts to feel humiliated and expressing cruel anger against his wife (Randy Stuart) . In his home's basement he battles lethal threats as spiders , floods or drops of water in an endless and surreal environment . At the ending terminates in a strangely and moving religious assertion of what it really means to be alive.

Universal classic of the 50s with numerous unforgettable scenes including a rousing showdown with a giant cat and a common house spider. Good performance by Grant Williams in that a strange fog causes him to dwindle becoming into unfortunate man who forces him to view the world in a diverse light than ever before. Intelligent and brooding screenplay by Richard Matheson with many memorable dialogs and including philosophical and pantheist speeches ; furthermore based on his own novel . Joseph Gershenson's impressive score with thrilling strains. Fine special effects highlight and good Art Direction by Alexander Golitzen .

This well-edited motion picture is compellingly directed by Jack Arnold in his best foray into the Sci-Fi genre. He reigns supreme as one of the greatest filmmakers of 50s science , achieving an important cult popularity with classics as "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," and its follow-up titled "Revenge of the Creature" that was a nice sequel . "Tarantula" was likewise a lot of amusement . This "The Incredible Shrinking Man" attained his greatest enduring cult popularity , it's a thought-provoking and impressive classic that's lost none of its power throughout the years . Arnold's final two genre entries were the interesting "Monster on the Campus" and the outlandish "The Space Children¨ . It's followed by an inferior Sci-Fi comedy titled ¨Incredible shrinking woman (1981)that results to be a semi-spoof , being directed by Joel Schumacher in his first movie , with Lily Tomlin , Charles Grodin and Nead Beatty. Rating : Better than average . Well catching for amazing acting, philosophical and existential argument and really peculiar transformation .

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To lose everything

Oct5 June 2004

It is a truism that America in the 1950s was a conformist, cowed kind of country. Social criticism was suspect, potentially un-American. Hollywood had to convey its messages in the guise of sci-fi or historical analogy.

This spare, cheap, black-and-white film, starring unknowns, has the ruthless, unswerving narrative drive of an arrow into a bullseye. No subplots, no diversions: nothing but the examination of what it is like to lose *everything*, to be stripped not only of the material consolations of conformity but the emotional insulation of marriage and friendship.

"Shrinking"-- the MacGuffin of a nuclear cloud means nothing-- is a visual metaphor for exile and disillusionment. The hero becomes an outcast by becoming progressively more freakish until he is invisible, or at any rate irretrievable. Yet every stage of deprivation has its consolations. Once he falls through the floor, he escapes the attentions of the pruriently curious and the need to pay his way by performing for them; and although at first the grille in the cellar is like the barred window of a prison, shrinking further means he can squeeze through and leave the fearsome cat trapped behind.

All this is very American in its qualified optimism, and very characteristic of Richard Matheson's imagination as one of the great popular mythmakers of mid-century. Not for him the easy slither into plastic angst. Scott Carey's reversion to the primitive-- long hair, needle-sword, ragged robes-- mocks his former status but also looks forward to the hippie protagonists who would soon reject social norms and carve out their own psychic territory. Carey's resourcefulness and refusal to be daunted are the qualities of a pioneer.

One incident sums up Matheson's brilliant integration of narrative detail and philosophical meaning. After being diagnosed, Carey and his wife swear they will stay true to each other, come what may. He leans forward to start the car and the wedding ring rolls off his finger. It sounds like a lumberingly "symbolic" moment, something out of Iris Murdoch... only it isn't. His finger has shrunk, and shrinking is what the movie is all about. Accept the premise, and all that flows out of it fits it.

"The Incredible Shrinking Man" is an adventure story and a fable about how little it takes to stay alive, seamlessly sewn together. It is one of the works that put Matheson (and Rod Serling) up with Wells, Verne and Conan Doyle. Literary professors now give the Europeans serious attention. When will the American dream-weavers get their due?

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7/10

Size isn't everything, except when you're a human being chased by a snarling cat!

mark.waltz13 June 2018

Warning: Spoilers

One of the very best science fiction films ever made, this stands the test of time and easily recovers from a few obvious bad special photographic effects to become a cult classic. It starts with a mysterious mist, one that mixed with some powerful insecticide causes writer Grant Williams to start shrinking, a little bit at a time, to a point where he is living in a doll's house, then falls down a hole into the cellar steps into a box of sewing equipment. It's a very simple story, but it is done extremely well, with the stress of his situation causing an obvious conflict between Williams and his wife (Randy Stuart) who is at a loss as to what to do, but refuses to secede to Williams' generous offer of ending their marriage. The mixture of science fiction and personal drama is intertwined by a public's need to know, one so wretchedly intrusive that you come to hate the lingering press and strangers that hold court outside their home.

Another telling sequence has Williams tired of being locked in, taking a walk in the evening, stared at by the passersby, even as he crosses the street in an effort to avoid them. He ends up at a side show carnival where he encounters a real life dwarf who tries to help him to accept his situation. He's almost there until he notices that all of a sudden, she's taller than him, and that puts him even more in the depths of despair. As he shrinks even more, he goes from playing with their friendly house cat to possibly becoming its victim, and in the cat's defense, it does what cats do. Unlike the friendly dog who recognizes its owner in "The Attack of the Puppet People", this cat wants an instant meal, and for all it knows this little creature is nothing more significant than a mouse. Later, Williams encounters a furry tarantula, creating another chilling moment, especially after Stuart and Williams' brother (Paul Langton) believe him to have been eaten alive. A sly reference to the cat no longer being there might disturb a few who instantly know that the cat has been put to sleep!

In the role of the sweet carnival girl who befriends Williams, April Kent (real life granddaughter of "Gypsy's" Mama Rose) is quite touching. TV sitcom veterans William Schallert ("The Patty Duke Show") and Raymond Bailey ("The Beverly Hillbillies") are fine as two of Williams' doctors. The explanations for Williams' condition are also well written and somewhat believable. This has many amazing moments that shows the care that the writers took in creating its screenplay, with the special effects and set design (extra large chairs and tables made for Williams, and later on even huge spools of thread and sewing needles) superb. Footage of this has been utilized in documentaries on classic science fiction both good and bad, and as indeed, this did come from Hollywood, that's one classic piece of science fiction that I'm truly grateful that did!

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10/10

Nothing big or small is insignificant in God's Universe

sol-kay4 July 2010

(Some Spoilers) One of the best and most thought-provoking Sci-Fi movies of the 1950's "The Incredible Shrinking Man" is about L.A businessman Scott Carey, Grant Williams, who by some quark of fate is infected by this strange radioactive cloud while out with his wife Louise, Randy Stuart, on his brother's Charlie, Paul Langton, yacht one sunny summer afternoon.

Some six months later Scott starts to feel that something is wrong when his clothes don't fit him and his both weight and hight starts to diminish. It's when Scott is checked out by his doctor that it becomes evident that he's shrinking and the only explanation he has about his condition is the strange luminous cloud that engulfed him some six months ago! As Scott shrinks things that he took for granted start to terrorizer him like his and Louise pet cat who looks at Scott, now living in a doll-house provided to him by Louise, as his next meal.

After surviving a vicious attack by the kiddie Scott ends up in the basement of his house where he faces even worse dangers as he still keeps shrinking to the point when he becomes almost invisible to his wife and bother who assume that the family cat killed and devoured him! Now truly on his own facing dangers that he never thought possible Scott is more then determined to survive his fate and at the same time becomes enlightened in the odd situation that he now finds himself in him soon, by shrinking into the size of an atom, becoming as insignificant as the number zero itself. Scott also learns to both fear and respect those, like a house spider, whom he has to compete with for food by being forced, in order to survive, to fight to the death with them!

Terrifying mind blowing and at the same time extremely touching movie that shows that there's nothing in God's Universe that doesn't have a place in it. As Scott shrunk into what he at first thought insignificance his mind and conception of existence grew, in what he experienced, to gigantic proportions. Alone and on his own in a world of giants Scott in the end realized his place in it and in the vast universe as well. Scott says it best in the movies final sequence: I now knew the answer to the riddle of infinite. That existence begins and ends is mans conception not that of nature. As I felt my body dwindling away into nothingness my fears melted away with it. And in their place became acceptance. That if all this majesty of creation means something then I mean something too. In the eyes of God there is no zero; I Still Exist!

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7/10

"Incredible"

NerdBat17 April 2018

This movie I feel is really under rated. I recommend it to anyone. You're able to really identify with the main character's situation, even though it is literally impossible. Household appliances and knick knacks become survival tools, a sewing needle becomes a sword with which to slay an evil beast (a common tarantula) and a basement floor becomes a barren wasteland. The movie doesn't linger, and you feel infuriated that the position he is in seems so futile. It really hits home, and is a masterpiece in my opinion.

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9/10

A great work transcends the age in which it was made

MogwaiMovieReviews5 September 2020

What a fantastic film this is: Richard Matheson's finest feature-length script is like the best of his Twilight Zone episodes, both wonderfully imaginative and thoughtfully philosophical at once.

It begins in bland, generic, white picket fenced 1950s America and ends in deep contemplation of the infinite, and along the way becomes unmoored from all reference points from the age in which it was made, as the protagonist himself has every thing familiar to him progressively stripped away and he is reduced to the most raw, primal, archetypal battle for survival.

The actor Grant Williams never did anything of any real note again, but here, in his continually deepening suffering, he moves into a glowing, timeless space that would not look out of place in any Bergman film. It's a performance for the ages.

The Incredible Shrinking Man is a rare, unique work and by far my favourite of all those 1950s sci-fi and monster movies.

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7/10

a "classier" sci-fi movie from the 50s

planktonrules16 March 2006

Warning: Spoilers

The same era and genre that brought us ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN and THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN also gave us this more cerebral and less sensationalistic account of a man who shrinks thanks to the miracle of atomic mutation! Because it takes a slightly less sensationalistic bent and the acting and writing are a definite notch above these other two movies, this is more likely to impress viewers. But, if you are looking for a good laugh, this really isn't your film, as it is both a fantasy sci-fi film AND takes a rather philosophical attitude towards this poor man. Additionally, people who MUST have a clear ending in a movie will be greatly disappointed, as the film ends but the problems of this shrinking man aren't really resolved.

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10/10

One Of The Best Eisenhower Era Science Fiction Films

Ron Oliver5 January 2000

This is the tale of the very cruel joke played upon a young man by Fate. Against horrifying odds he triumphs and retains his dignity. In so doing, this film is raised from being a merely superior monster movie to one of strangely spiritual significance.

The special effects are still pleasing and the tarantula remains one of Cinema's truly terrifying embodiments of mindless evil.

This was to be Grant William's finest film. He died in 1985 at the age of only 54.

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7/10

Good, bad, has its moments.

Polaris_DiB4 October 2005

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

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4/10

Good effects and acting, but very little plot

bpbranham7319 October 2005

Although the special effects were excellently done for the period and the message at the conclusion was well done, the overall storyline did not hold interest. I had no real idea of where the plot was going through the bulk of the picture. The acting was good and the narrative was great in describing a man's struggle of survival. However, the plot seemed to jump around from different things and tended to leave me confused as what really was supposed to be happening. It was hard figuring out where events were leading and then the climax is almost like a cliffhanger. There seemed to be no real conclusion. I know that some producers do that for effect, but here I didn't see it.

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