Innerspace - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Innerspace



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
Just like I did when I reviewed the Warner Bros. Blu-ray over a decade ago, I feel like I’m the odd man out in the universe. Innerspace came out in 1987 with fantastic reviews and has become a near cult classic in today’s more “modern” days. It had Dennis Quaid riding at his peak, Meg Ryan with all her poofy hair, and Martin Short when he was America’s comic darling. What’s not to love? Back in the early 90s, when I caught it on television, I really enjoyed the whack sci-fi adventure, but as I got older, I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I used to (or as much as everyone else seemed to be. Viewing it a decade since my last viewing hasn’t really changed my opinion, as I feel the blending of sci-fi, James Bond action, and Martin Short's style of humor just really doesn’t mesh well and creates an uneven film.

Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid) is on the outs with his girlfriend, Lydia (Meg Ryan), just as he’s on the verge of going undercover for a top-secret mission. His goal is to be the guinea pig for a group of scientists who are using him as a test subject for miniaturization and insertion into a live animal. Literally the size of a speck, he’s supposed to be the next breakthrough in medical science, allowing for all sorts of applications to be brought to the forefront of science. His mission is a success. At least partially, as he’s injected into the subject. The only problem is that the subject is injected purely by chance, and is in the form of hypochondriac assistant Safeway Manager, Jack Putter (Martin Short). It seems that miniaturization is a hot commodity, and an evil business named Scrimshaw (Kevin McCarthy) has sent his henchmen after the technology. One of the scientists barely escapes with the syringe that houses the already shrunk Lt. Pendleton and manages to inject the serum and Tuck into the unlucky Jack Putter.

Putter and Pendleton now are essentially of one mind, as Tuck’s machine can communicate through Jack’s senses. With Scrimshaw after them, they have to figure out how to get Tuck out before his oxygen is depleted. But the duo has to stay away from Scrimshaw's goons and stay alive in the process as well. Not wanting to reveal his project any further, Tuck advises Jack not to tell anyone, even Lydia, as they wheedle her into helping them get the tech that will allow them to unshrink the pilot and his craft. Throw into the mix a Hispanic cowboy (played to perfection by the amazing Robert Picardo), a sleazy Safeway assistant cashier, and Martin Short’s trademark brand of physical comedy, and you have one bumpy ride.

I shan’t say that Innerspace is unlikable, as that’s clearly not the case. I wouldn’t rate it 3/5 stars if I didn’t like it, but rather I feel that it’s a bit uneven with its tone and pacing. When it’s good, it’s really good, but there are large portions of the movie that just don’t feel right. The movie starts out feeling all sci-fi and mystery, but once Martin Short enters the picture with his overactive hypochondriac imagination, the movie twists into a drastically different direction. If they had kept it a pure comedy, I could have taken it a lot better, as the comedy is fantastic. Quaid is good as the straightman, and Meg Ryan is just plain adorable, earning her role as one of America’s sweethearts of the 80s and 90s. Martin Short and Robert Picardo steal the show, though, as Martin hams it up as the overly physical slapstick comedian that he is, and Picardo plays the best character of the movie. Named simply, “The Cowboy”. I can’t say enough good things about Picardo, as the character actor really knows how to play it calm and collected one minute and then zany as all get out the next.

It's not hard to see why Innerspace won the award for best visual effects in a film that year. The effects are top-notch and even hold up rather well today. The fight between the "Bond Villain", as I like to call him, and Lt. Pendleton is well done, and the motions of the mechanical craft don't look bad at all, and this is in 2015. The car chases are well-choreographed, and the shrinking tech looks phenomenal. I have to say that had they stuck to an all spy/sci-fi movie, or all comedy, I might have enjoyed Innerspace a bit more, but it's still a classic for a reason, and Martin Short's frenetic, gangly humor is just as funny today as it was almost 30 years ago. Even if it is out of place in the film's tone.




Rating:

Rated PG: Parental Guidance Recommended




4K Video: Video:

Presented on 4K UHD and remastered by Arrow films (scanned the 35mm OCN at 4K and WB’s MPI restored the rest), the end result is quite stunning. Innerspace was always a grainy and slightly stylized film, so don’t expect to see an image devoid of grain and texture, but this is a much-needed upgrade over the aging 1080p disc. Fine details look better, with stronger delineation in the darker sequences, and better skin tones. I did notice that the Dolby Vision application adds quite a bit of punch to the primary shades (such as red ties or the blue of an automobile). Black levels are excellent, showing no signs of crush or problematic issues. The 80s aesthetic looks nice, with warm colors, a ruddy complexion, and overall fine detail levels that handily outclass the aging WB Blu-ray.









Audio:

Even though it’s not exactly a puritanical mix, the Dolby Atmos track that Arrow provides on the disc (both 4K and their Blu-ray, I might add) is quite impressive. Besides the legacy 2.0 mix, there is a 4.1 DTS-HD MA mix as well, which sounds pretty good, but not AS good as the Atmos track. The film isn’t a wild stunner of sonic surround activity, but it does well with the tools it has available. Mainly in the form of the pod sequences, which add a good amount of bass and surround chaos at times. Dialog is strong and loaded up front, and with a little bit of ambient noise in the mains (such as the drunken fight near the beginning). Jerry Goldsmith’s score is spicy and vibrant, adding some much-needed punch to some of the quieter bits.












Extras:

• Audio Commentary with Cast and Crew
• Audio Commentary with Drew McWeeney
• Shrinkage: The Making of Innerspace
• Joe Dante's Behind the Scenes Video Compilation
• ILM Behind the Scenes
• Storyboard Gallery
• Polaroids: Continuity & Behind the Scenes Gallery
• Production Stills
• Poster Gallery
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

Innerspace is very much a relic of its time. I remember enjoying it a lot when I was a kid, but subsequent viewings decades later have not been as kind to the old 87 film. Quaid is great doing his thing, but the mixture of James Bond meets slapstick humor, meets sci-fi thriller just doesn’t gel very well. The Video is amazing, and so is the newly upgraded audio (which ditches the 5.1 DVD era mix for a 2.0, 4.1, and newly minted Atmos track to choose from). A definite upgrade from the Blu-ray of old, but not something I'd blind recommend to anyone other than fans.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan, Martin Short, Robert Picardo
Directed by: Joe Dante
Written by: Chip Proser, Jeffrey Boam
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DTS-HD MA 4.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Warner Bros
Rated: PG
Runtime: 120 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: April 28th, 2026

Recommendation: OK Watch