Fantastic Voyage Reinvented Sci Fi

/Home/Science Fiction and Fantasy Movies

Fantastic Voyage Reinvented Sci Fi
April 13, 2011
The College Reporter

In the early 1960s, moviegoers intent on seeing a science fiction film were faced with such “exquisite” choices as Monster a Go-Go! and Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.

This was, of course, before films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes resurrected the genre from the “B movie” reputation it had deservedly earned the decade before. While low budget “midnight movies” dominated the genre in the 1950s and early 1960s, one should not assume that well-crafted science fiction was absent from Hollywood altogether. Fantastic Voyage, made in 1966 by 20th Century Fox, defies the unattractive stereotypes which plagued its genre, presenting an epic adventure into the human body, while striving to take itself seriously at the same time. Instead of a bad plot and even worse visual effects, Fantastic Voyage greeted audiences with the words “This film will take you where no one has ever been before,” and then promptly delivered on its pledge. With its engaging concepts and groundbreaking special effects, Fantastic Voyage is the appealing and sophisticated product of the generally laughable science fiction genre of the early 1960s, and is certainly worth a watch.

An assassination attempt on scientist Jan Benes (Jean Del Val) causes an inoperable blood clot in his brain, leaving him comatose. He is, therefore, unable to divulge his important discovery to the “CMDF” (Combined Miniature Deterrent Forces), a government agency which experiments with shrinking technology. While the “CMDF” shrinks any kind of matter, the process is temporary, and miniaturized material will expand to normal size after one hour. Benes’ research would have, by contrast, allowed miniaturization to be indefinite. Government agent Grant (Stephen Boyd) is asked to lead an expedition to remove the clot from Benes’ brain, albeit unconventionally. His team is shrunk to microscopic size, injected into Benes’ bloodstream, and works its way through his body in a submersible called the Proteus, passing through the heart, lungs, lymph nodes, and inner ear. Their destination is the cranium, where accomplished brain surgeon Dr. Duval (Arthur Kennedy) plans to destroy the clot with a special laser. The crew also includes Dr. Michaels (Donald Pleasence), who navigates the bloodstream, pilot Bill Owens (William Redfield), and Dr. Duval’s assistant, Miss Peterson (Raquel Welch). Although Grant has no medical experience, it is revealed that those who seek Benes’ death have infiltrated the agency, and someone on the Proteus may try to assassinate Benes from the inside, which Grant must prevent. During their one-hour race against time (they only can remain miniaturized for one hour), mysterious “accidents” occur, subjecting the team to harsh currents, antibodies, and deadly white blood cells. It eventually becomes clear that a saboteur is causing the mishaps, and Grant must find and stop the potential assassin before fatal damage is done to the scientist.

Fantastic Voyage, originally set in Victorian England, is a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby (who wrote for The Twilight Zone and Star Trek). However, when director Richard Fleischer (Tora! Tora! Tora!, Soylent Green) picked up the project, he not only altered the setting to modern times, but was faced with engineering the film’s complicated special effects. To put his predicament into perspective, one must consider that most science fiction films today could not be accomplished without reliance on computer-generated imagery (CGI), reliance not possible during the 1950s and 1960s. However, Fantastic Voyage still won two Academy Awards (Best Art Direction and Best Special Effects), even without this technology. Since Fleischer did not have a computer to create the interior of a human heart, lung, or brain, he had to build incredible sets on an epic scale, “flying” actors through them on wires (to simulate swimming through fluid). The effects department built the submersible Proteus at actual size (weighing four tons and costing $100,000) for close-ups, and in smaller models for wide shots. Unfortunately, additional copies of the smallest Proteus model (1.5 inches long) had to be made, since a bird carried off the original during production. A myriad of examples exhibit the department’s use of brilliant techniques to create exceptional effects, including the simulation of red blood cells by filming combinations of oil and Vaseline in water, and display their sincere effort to make the film seem “real” and
sophisticated.

I enjoyed Fantastic Voyage for a number of reasons. The cast, while not necessarily comprised of exclusive “A list” talent, gives a respectable performance. Stephen Boyd, considered for the part of James Bond in Dr. No, does a fine job as leading man, and it is fun to see Donald Pleasence as well, known mostly today as Dr. Loomis in the Halloween franchise. Though her part is small, Raquel Welch also makes a great addition to the Proteus’ crew, though the Hollywood “sex symbol” is best known for her role as a bikini-clad cavewoman in One Million Years B.C. The special effects, though they may seem dated in comparison to today’s CGI technology, are still a delight, especially when one considers their complexity. Made before the first Moon landing in 1969, the film stirred up a sense of hope among audiences, regarding what new marvels technology could bring, a theme which is relevant in this present age of technology. More importantly, Fantastic Voyage also provided hope for science fiction in film, proving that there was more to the genre than just “B movies,” and revealing a level of sophistication that would be matched and exceeded in subsequent years by more serious science fiction films. On that note, I give Fantastic Voyage eight stars out of 10, and encourage any science fiction fan who desires adventure in a place no man has gone before, but also seeks a level of refinement and complexity atypical of the early 1960s, to give this film a try.