Die Reise ins Ich (1987)

Die Reise ins Ich: Directed by Joe Dante. With Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Kevin McCarthy. A test pilot is miniaturized in a secret experiment, and accidentally injected into a hapless store clerk.

“Everyone remembers that eighties sci-fi classic u0026#39;Back to the Future,u0026#39; because – letu0026#39;s face it – itu0026#39;s awesome. It deserves itu0026#39;s spot in pop culture. Yet many people donu0026#39;t seem to hold that other eighties sci-fi popcorn flick u0026#39;Innerspaceu0026#39; in such quite high regards. And thatu0026#39;s a shame… in my humble opinion, because it really is quite good fun.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn these days of u0026#39;shared universesu0026#39; (thanks, Marvel!) I find myself seeing films that look like they could belong in the same u0026#39;universeu0026#39; as others (like u0026#39;Universal Soldieru0026#39; and u0026#39;Terminator 2u0026#39; – again, just my opinion). And, after my most recent re-watch of u0026#39;Innerspaceu0026#39; I couldnu0026#39;t help but thinking how much it would fit alongside that time-travelling DeLorean and uber-cool hoverboard. u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s about a test piolt (Dennis Quaid) who gets miniaturised inside a pod during a lab experiment and then (inadvertantly) injected into some random guyu0026#39;s backside (Martin Short). The two of them form an unlikely bond as they try to reverse the effects before Quaid runs out of oxygen (or the baddies get hold of them!).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNow, itu0026#39;s fair to say that u0026#39;Innerspaceu0026#39; didnu0026#39;t set the Box Office as on fire as its producers would have liked. I donu0026#39;t think it bombed, but the film-makers were hoping for something akin to u0026#39;Back to the Futureu0026#39; in terms of success-levels. However, thereu0026#39;s just something so fun about it that it deserves to be remembered, especially during this period of eighties nostalgia.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s first strength is that it never slows down. Itu0026#39;s perfectly edited so that you get almost straight into the action and learn to love the characters without any need for lengthy exposition or backstory. And the action flows thick and fast. Thereu0026#39;s one chase scene that reminded me of u0026#39;Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.u0026#39; In u0026#39;Indy 4u0026#39; they had to rely on awful computer graphics whereas u0026#39;Innerspaceu0026#39; managed it with stunts.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnother thing thatu0026#39;s worth mentioning is how when thereu0026#39;s no action, thereu0026#39;s humour. And this is down to the rapport between the actors. Everyone plays their part well. And, possibly the most important thing about u0026#39;Innerspaceu0026#39; is that itu0026#39;s a film that the whole family can enjoy. Thereu0026#39;s no need for violence or bad language. It acomplishes everything it needs to without any over-the-topness.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf you saw this back in the day, give it another go. Or if youu0026#39;re just looking for something to entertain the kids on a wet weekend, this should be enjoyed by all (even if youu0026#39;re not part of this current eighties revival!).”