Fantastic Voyage (1966)

When Dr. Jan Benes, a scientist carrying Cold War secrets inside his brain, is nearly assassinated, a medical team and their submarine are miniaturized and injected into his blood stream to help save him. Sounds completely plausible, right? That’s the plot-line of 1966’s Fantastic Voyage.

The film opens with a promise to viewers that “someday, perhaps tomorrow, the fantastic events you are about to see can and will take place.” A fairly bold statement but it reveals the world’s hope that, at the time of the film’s release, science would make exciting progress in the near future. Humans hadn’t yet stepped foot on the moon, but we were racing to do so. Anything seemed possible. Sadly, 56 years later, we’ve reversed course. Some people will argue that Earth is flat, and others will debate the value of vaccinations. And, of course, we’ve yet to miniaturize any objects much less people.

Today’s audiences might find the pacing on the slow side. But they’ve likely seen this story told before. What was then a unique perspective on the human body — as seen from the inside — has been used and reused in other media since the movie was released in 1966. The plot has been parodied, ripped off, and referenced by the likes of The Simpsons, Family Guy, Doctor Who, Innerspace and Spaceballs to name a few.

Some major league suspension of disbelief is necessary to accept the original premise of Fantastic Voyage. But doing so allows for the enjoyment of one of the best science fiction movies of the 1960s. Full of then-state-of-the-art special effects and some hard-to-avoid anachronisms, Fantastic Voyage remains charming thanks to its no-nonsense approach. Aside from a brief expository introduction, the screenplay by Harry Kleiner wastes little time and keeps things moving along.

What it might lack in onscreen action, Fantastic Voyage more than makes up for in suspense. With its time-sensitive mission requirements and the frequent hazards found inside the human body, a sense of urgency permeates the core of the movie. The miniaturization process only lasts for 60 minutes. If the crew of the submarine takes too long, they’ll return to normal size and jeopardize not only their own lives but that of Dr. Benes.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the huge contributions of the cast in selling the material and making it at least somewhat believable. Stephen Boyd, as Grant, provides the audience with a touch-point as he is introduced to the workings of the CMDF (Combined Miniature Deterrent Forces, the government agency responsible for the technology.) Arthur Kennedy, as Dr. Duval, a surgeon, and Raquel Welch as Cora, his assistant, simultaneously give us our medical expertise and the requisite eye candy thought to be necessary in any science fiction movie. Rounding out the cast are William Redfield as Bill Owens, the submarine’s captain and Donald Pleasance as Dr. Michaels, the mission’s leader.

The film’s biggest problem — and I hesitate to even call it that — is that the antagonist is easily identifiable. The script telegraphs would could have been an effective plot twist early and often. But the saboteur subplot takes very little away from creativity of the main story-line.

For those raised on pixel perfect CGI, the now-primitive effects of Fantastic Voyage will probably seem laughable. But for those who can set the visual imperfections aside, there’s a taut and highly influential science fiction movie here that still wields enough power to entertain. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: A good story well told trumps special effects every time.