At the time of release, I was crazy about FANTASTIC VOYAGE. Seeing it again, years later, there are lots of reservations but it still deserves a huge amount of credit for the overall originality of the plot wherein a group of scientists are turned into microscopic size in order to be injected into the body of a Czech scientist whose brain must be saved from a blood clot.
It's an inside look at the lungs, ears and other assorted arteries of the upper body as the scientists attempt their mission in a one hour span because after that they revert to normal size. Needless to say, what they thought might be a ten minute salvage operation turns out to be much more perilous and time consuming. Once inside the body, the story evolves in real time, so the suspense is heightened.
Some nifty players do their best to make it all seem convincing and, on the whole, they do a creditable job. That includes RAQUEL WELCH, ARTHUR KENNEDY, DONALD PLEASANCE and STEPHEN BOYD. Unfortunately, the story moves a little too slowly, a factor which modern audiences will probably find detrimental to this kind of tale.
Summing up: May not be quite as satisfying for today's audiences who have seen everything in the way of science fiction, but in its time it was considered quite original and won Oscars for art decoration and special effects.
It's an inside look at the lungs, ears and other assorted arteries of the upper body as the scientists attempt their mission in a one hour span because after that they revert to normal size. Needless to say, what they thought might be a ten minute salvage operation turns out to be much more perilous and time consuming. Once inside the body, the story evolves in real time, so the suspense is heightened.
Some nifty players do their best to make it all seem convincing and, on the whole, they do a creditable job. That includes RAQUEL WELCH, ARTHUR KENNEDY, DONALD PLEASANCE and STEPHEN BOYD. Unfortunately, the story moves a little too slowly, a factor which modern audiences will probably find detrimental to this kind of tale.
Summing up: May not be quite as satisfying for today's audiences who have seen everything in the way of science fiction, but in its time it was considered quite original and won Oscars for art decoration and special effects.