Review: Fantastic Voyage

A defecting Czech scientist is seriously wounded in an assassination attempt by the ‘enemy’ side. American agent Stephen Boyd was to receive vital information from the man who is now unconscious and plagued with a blood clot in the brain. Boyd is taken to a top secret facility where he learns of a completely barmy solution to the problem. He is to join a crew of doctors (Arthur Kennedy, Raquel Welch, Donald Pleasence, and William Redfield among them) and to be miniaturised in a similarly shrunken vessel in order to be injected into the body of the comatose man’s bloodstream. They are to operate on the clot with a laser, which is unable to be performed by more conventional means. They are also on a time limit, as after an hour the miniaturisation process will start to wear off. Also complicating matters is a saboteur on board. Arthur O’Connell and Edmond O’Brien are the functionary characters at the facility.

 

One of the most enjoyable 60s sci-fi films, this 1966 Richard Fleischer (“The Vikings”, “Red Sonja”) sci-fi adventure is beyond barmy but you somehow go along with it. Enthusiastically in my case. It’s to the credit of everyone involved that you forget about the silliness of the basic concept for 90 minutes and end up caught up in the drama and tension of it all. Whatever you make of the so-called science here, everyone involved really commits to it, treating it as real and plausible. The production/set design is nifty, if very 1960s. If you’ve seen “You Only Live Twice” you’ll know what to expect somewhat.

 

The plot is wildly imaginative but so bizarre that you wonder how anyone in 1966 greenlit the project. I mean, it’s basically “Journey to the Centre of the Human Body”. Based on a Jerome Bixby and Otto Klement story, Fleischer and screenwriters Harry Kleiner (“Bullitt”, “Madigan”) and David Duncan (“The Monster That Challenged the World”, “The Time Machine”) are clever enough to take this crazy concept explained on a brisk, Aaron Sorkin-esque walk-and-talk. That way you have time to hear it but not enough time to laugh it off the screen before it gets going. It’s such a fun film, especially if you don’t use your brain all that much during it. The visual FX are interesting and unusual, trippy 60s colours and designs. Yes, the projection work has dated and I doubt what we see in any way resembles the insides of the human body, but it sure is fun. In addition to being weird and visually interesting, it’s full of danger and excitement given this isn’t a voyage that has been taken before. I mean, of all the situations to have to deal with someone losing their shit and turning saboteur, you really, really don’t want to be facing that here.

 

Leading actors Stephen Boyd and Raquel Welch are probably the least impressive actors here, though the former is better than the latter. It may be one of Welch’s best films, but it’s neither her best role nor performance. She’s rather weak, actually. Also, if you bristle at the sexist dialogue aimed at her, be prepared for the bikini scene. Filling out the functionary roles we get three of the best character actors of the time – Arthur O’Connell, Arthur Kennedy, and Edmond O’Brien. All three are rock-solid, and could’ve easily played each other’s roles. Of the three Kennedy probably has the most interesting character, an inquisitive and contemplative scientist. The best performance by far comes from a perfectly cast Donald Pleasence, who steals the film by sheer force of being Donald Pleasence.

 

One of the best B-movies ever made, wonderful to look at and with an irresistible – if silly – plot, this one’s almost too much fun.

 

Rating: A-