Fantastic Voyage (1966)

 

A - for the time - scientifically accurate film that takes place inside the human body? Sign me up! 

Also: there is little denying that this one received a loving remake of sorts with Joe Dante's excellent 'Innerspace'.

The plot is as simple as it is ingenious: a defecting scientist (probably from Russia) is caught in a car accident and suffers haemorraghing inside his brain. The clot is too difficult to reach with regular surgical means, so a group of scientists (and two soldiers, because of course) is miniaturised inside a special submarine and injected into the bloodstream, with the mission to clear the clot before it is too late.

Only catch? They have just one hour to do so before they start returning to normal size again.

This also means the film wastes none of our time. The setup is quick and clean and our main characters are introduced and brought up to speed in the span of about ten minutes before the fantastical stuff starts to happen. Stephen Boyd is good as the chiselled-chin lead, but he is not the most interesting of the characters. That distinction goes to the two doctors, of which one is played by the always great Donald Pleasence.

No prizes to figure out who the eventual saboteur turns out to be. Sure, this was one of his earlier roles and people were not yet accustomed to mister Pleasence playing villains, but he was after all an actor extremely suited to that type of part.

And because it is the 60s, we also get the inclusion of the gorgeous Raquel Welch as a technical assistant. Does she add much? Not really, but any excuse to put her in a skintight suit is good enough I guess.

Hold your sexist horses. She is one of those ladies that is beautiful in any era of film. 

What sets this film apart, are the special effects. By today's standards they might not seem like much, but back in the day this was pretty cutting edge and they actually employed real doctors and scientists to get everything inside the body as accurate as possible, which is a really nice treat. It looks gloriously psychedelic and otherworldly and one can only imagine the fun they had on the sets that look like the most bizarre bouncy castles ever. 

It could have been awkward as well, but details are sketchy.

In any case, this is one of those science fiction adventures that doesn't overstay its welcome and is fodder for the true fanatics of the genre. Maybe most people won't get that much enjoyment out of this as not a lot happens and the third act finale is over in a jiffy, but the visuals and quick pacing make this an enjoyable albeit dated romp.