The same era and genre that brought us ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN and THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN also gave us this more cerebral and less sensationalistic account of a man who shrinks thanks to the miracle of atomic mutation! Because it takes a slightly less sensationalistic bent and the acting and writing are a definite notch above these other two movies, this is more likely to impress viewers. But, if you are looking for a good laugh, this really isn't your film, as it is both a fantasy sci-fi film AND takes a rather philosophical attitude towards this poor man. Additionally, people who MUST have a clear ending in a movie will be greatly disappointed, as the film ends but the problems of this shrinking man aren't really resolved.

Radiation, something we were only beginning to understand, is once again the villain of another science fiction movie. Grant Williams got the career role when he plays a man exposed to a combination of radiation and insecticide which causes him to gradually shrink. The Incredible Shrinking Man is a film that is truly unique unto itself in both concept and execution.

I imagine with computer graphics we could do so much better with the special effects showing Williams gradually shrinking and how he relates to all around him. I could see someone like Matt Damon in a remake today.

It's a wonderful and complex part of the man becoming a gradual Lilliputian in his own house. A great struggle for survival in a world that gets more terrifying as the house cat becomes a beast of pray and he struggles to survive even against life we normally step on.

I did so like the ending as Williams resigns himself to his fate. We're all just a lot of molecules lumped together and it's in that complexity of arrangement which we could only judge if we were that small. Williams realizes he's been given a gift of sorts part of a package with his horrible fate. Too bad he can't report back to the rest of humanity.

Take note also of Randy Stuart as our shrinking man's wife who bears up under the most unique of trials ever given anyone besides her husband.

A real classic and advances in technology almost demand a remake.

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN is a '50s sci-fi flick based on a novel by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the screenplay. I read the novel beforehand so I can confirm that this is true to the book and just as engaging. THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN is a hugely influential movie that really popularised the trend for "little people" movies, particularly thanks to its excellent special effects. Stuff like GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, ATTACK OF THE PUPPET PEOPLE and, of course, TV's LAND OF THE GIANTS all owe their dues to this.

The story is simple and yet so effective: due to a series of unfortunate events, an ordinary husband finds himself shrinking in stature. The first half is almost comedic in its depiction of his unusual plight, but the second half is where it gets really interesting; the guy is trapped in a house with ordinary household critters turning into deadly monsters due to his extreme size reduction.

The special effects are still highly impressive and there are only a couple of dodgy shots where the main character appears see-through. The action scenes with the cat and spider are the highlights, of course, but I also enjoyed watching the character working out how to overcome various obstacles. Hell, I've always loved the idea of tiny characters struggling with their world - I used to read Pratchett's Bromeliad trilogy and THE BORROWERS as a kid, for instance - so I was predisposed to love this one too.