a5c7b9f00b Tuck Pendleton is a cocky pilot, who is taking part in a miniaturization experiment. When some bad guys break into the lab to steal the technology, one of the scientists takes a syringe which contains the miniaturized Tuck and vessel. Now in the vessel is part of the material needed to restore him. But the other part which is the lab is stolen. The scientist's shot but before dying he injects Tuck into Jack Putter, a hypochondriac, who feels that something is wrong with him all the time. When Tuck links himself to Jack's systems, he discovers that something happened. So they go back to the lab, and discover what happened. Now they are told that unless they retrieve the material that was stolen they won't be able to restore Tuck before his oxygen is depleted. Now the government rep decides that the only thing that matters that as long as they have the other half of the material, it is useless to the thieves. So Tuck eggs Jack to go out and find the thieves. They enlist the aid of Tuck's old girlfriend, Lydia, who is a reporter. And it's fortunate for them that she has a lead that pans out. Lt. Tuck Pendelton, an American pilot, takes part in an experiment where he is miniaturized inside a submarine-like craft and is to be injected into a rabbit. The bad guys try to steal him, and the machine, while he is miniaturized, and eventually he ends up inside Jack Putter, a hypochondriac. Former US Navy pilot Lt. Tuck Pendleton is taking part in a ground breaking experiment. If all went according to plan he would get onto a pod that will be miniaturised to an almost microscopic size then injected into a rabbit it does not go according to plan. A rival firm wants the technology and breaks into the lab just after the pod has been miniaturised and placed in a hypodermic syringe; they steal one of the chips required to return the pod to its correct size while a technician flees with the needle. He is chased down but before he is caught he injects it into hapless Jack Putter; a hypochondriac. Tuck pilots the pod through Jack and after connecting sensors to his optic nerve and ear can see what Jack sees and communicate with him. Once it becomes apparent to him what happened he must find a way to retrieve the chip before his air runs out. There is also the problem that the villains want to find him as the re-enlarging process needs the chip they stole and one in the pod; without this the technology would be of limited value.<br/><br/>This film provides a fun blend of science fiction, comedy and action. The concept is fairly silly but that doesn't matter because it never takes itself too seriously. There are plenty of laughs from start to finish, and a decent amount of family friendly action. Dennis Quaid does a fine job as Lt Pendleton even though he spends most of the time just sat in his pod talking to Jack. Martin Short is a lot of fun as Jack; a character that develops nicely through the film from a rather wimpy hypochondriac to a far more self-assured man. Meg Ryan is likable as Tuck's girlfriend, who gets drawn into the adventure; the rest of the cast are pretty good too. The special effects for Tuck's journey through Jack's body are impressive and there are also some good stunts. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to anybody wanting so good family friendly action; there are one or two mildly crude jokes but I suspect they would go over the heads of younger viewers. When Joe Dante wanted to do a remake of Fantastic Voyage, I liked the way he decided to make his version into a comedy. I was surprised to discover that this film wasn't too successful, because I believe Innerspace is good solid entertainment, albeit daft.<br/><br/>The story begins when Lt Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid), an excellent pilot but an irresponsible hard drinker volunteers for a highly unusual experiment. He will be placed inside a submersible pod, and with the use of two microchips, be miniaturised and injected into a laboratory rabbit (called Bugs, what is it about Joe Dante and Looney Tunes characters anyway?).<br/><br/>But just after Tuck has been shrunk, a group of Silicon Valley industrial spies break into the lab, and steal one of the microchips necessary to reverse the miniaturisation process. In desperation, one of the scientists (Ozzie) runs with the syringe Tuck is in, and injects him into the body of Jack Putter (Martin Short).<br/><br/>Jack is a stressed out hypochondriac who is terrified of life, and learning that a shrunken human being is inside his body doesn't make him any less neurotic. With Tuck and Jack now having to depend on each other for survival, they team up with Tuck's ex girlfriend Lydia Maxwell (Meg Ryan) to recover the stolen chip before Tuck's air supply runs out.<br/><br/>I must confess to being a sucker for these loser comes out on top stories, and this film is no exception. Jack is a man who has nothing going for him in life, but with Tuck urging him on, Jack manages to find inner confidence he never knew he had and takes control of his life.<br/><br/>Both Tuck and Jack's characters go through changes in this film. Seeing the world through Jack's eyes, Tuck begins to reflect upon the mistakes he has made in his life. His irresponsible behaviour and heavy drinking was responsible for Lydia breaking up with him, and he wouldn't be in the situation he's in now if he hadn't recklessly gone through with this hare brained experiment.<br/><br/>Dennis Quaid makes a likable character as Tuck, because although he is a wise guy, his pep talks to Jack are quite inspiring and how you can learn to take control of your own destiny.<br/><br/>Martin Short is also a likable hero as Jack, although he does have a tendency to go over the top. Although he is supposed to be neurotic, his antics can grate on you a little on occasion. Some of his antics can be funny too, such as the crazy dance he does in Tuck's apartment, and yelling "I'm possessed" when he first hears Tuck's voice inside his head.<br/><br/>The different scrapes they get into are quite exciting, such as Jack's hanging on for dear life at the back of a refrigerated truck (although it is a little overlong). Tuck's battle with one of the spies inside Jack's body is very well done, and the method of killing him is quite innovative too.<br/><br/>One of the funniest scenes is when Tuck alters Jack's face to look like The Cowboy (Robert Picardo), someone who has come to buy the microchip off Scrimshaw (Kevin McCarthy), the man responsible for stealing the chip in the first place. The special FX for these scenes are pretty amazing, and the look on everyone's faces during these transformations are priceless.<br/><br/>The FX used for inside Jack's body are incredible, and are totally realistic. One of the best scenes is when Tuck is nearly pulled into Jack's heart, and is very nail biting. Another good scene is when Tuck ends up in Lydia's body through a kiss with Jack, and sees his unborn child in her womb. That is a very awe inspiring scene, and is worthy of the same fascination that made Fantastic Voyage great.<br/><br/>I believe this is a criminally underrated film. Admittedly, its a hard film to swallow, with things like altering Jack's face to look like someone else. How exactly could you do that? But this is a Joe Dante film, so you have to suspend disbelief a little. Meg Ryan isn't given enough to do, and its a pity her character couldn't have been given enough development.<br/><br/>There are also a lot of things happening in this film, and not everything is tied up like it should have been. The way Innerspace ends, there could have been a sequel, but so far it hasn't been followed up. With Dennis Quaid's and Meg Ryan's divorce that doesn't seem very likely now.<br/><br/>Still, Quaid has got a brilliant rapport with Short, and some (if not all) of the important matters are resolved. Its an entertaining film, and you find yourself being pulled along for the ride whether you like it or not. After Gremlins, Innerspace is my favourite Joe Dante film. I would have loved to eavesdrop on the script conferences for "Innerspace." Here is an absurd, unwieldy, overplotted movie that nevertheless is entertaining - and some of the fun comes from the way the plot keeps laying it on. Not really. You may be thinking of <a href="/title/tt0060397/">Fantastic Voyage (1966)</a> (1966), which is about a crew in a submarine-like ship that is miniaturized and injected into the bloodstream of an important diplomat; their mission is to perform a medical procedure that is impossible through conventional means. This film was probably inspired by Fantastic Voyage but it's not a real remake.
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