Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Incredible Shrinking Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 16, 2021

Jack Arnold's "The Incredible Shrinking Man" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include new program with visual effects supervisor Craig Barron and sound designer Ben Burtt; new documentary produced by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures; new audio commentary recorded by author and film historian Tom Weaver and horror music expert David Schecter; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Trapped

The final twenty or so minutes of The Incredible Shrinking Man are what separate it from the many other eccentric genre films that emerged after the end of WWII. Take for example The Giant Claw, which was completed at approximately the same time The Incredible Shrinking Man was. As soon as its opening credits disappear, you will be able to tell that you have entered the vast shlocky territory that countless other genre films from the same era loved to visit. More importantly, however, it won’t be too long before you conclude that you are going to stay there until its final credits pop up on your screen as well. In other words, regardless of the surprises The Giant Claw produces in order to entertain you, your experience with it will be a very straightforward one. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, but the list of genre films from the same era that were conceived in the exact same manner is quite long.

The Incredible Shrinking Man offers some familiar surprises, but it was conceived differently. To be perfectly clear, a pretty big part of it does behave in a predictable manner and would have been quite easy to utilize in a conventional genre film like The Giant Claw, but there is an interesting shift that occurs later on which places all of the events that are chronicled in it in an entirely new context. If you pay close attention to the descriptions from the voice behind the camera, it could be quite easy to predict that the shift is coming too because they gradually become more rational. Virtually all other genre films from the same era do the exact opposite -- they either suppress or completely abandon rationality in order to produce a memorable finale with the usual outlandish fireworks.

The key reason The Incredible Shrinking Man is essentially in a league of its own is the intelligent manner in which it wraps up its story and leaves you pondering a whole range of new themes. For example, as initially described the bizarre transformation of the main protagonist (Grant Williams) is linked to what appears to be an odd incident somewhere in the middle of the ocean. By the time he is forced to confront the giant spider in the basement, however, his ordeal is already used to redirect your attention toward an entirely new range of relationships and possibilities. Is the basement a metaphor for the seemingly familiar but dangerous world in which human beings have been trapped since the dawn of time? What if their struggle to survive in it is just as inconsequential as that of the main protagonist? And what if there is a way out of it that reveals an entirely new reality, resembling or even replicating the one the main protagonist was removed from?

The Incredible Shrinking Man was directed by Jack Arnold, who knew how to entertain just as well as he was able to entice viewers to think outside the box. Arnold did it while shooting all kinds of different films as well. For example, The Glass Web predicts the inevitable demoralization of realty TV programming and warns about its ability to inspire tragic events. Man in the Shadow reveals how illegal immigration is usually enormously beneficial for the very parties that are supposed to oppose it and ensure that it does not exist. And Bachelor in Paradise, one of Arnold’s funniest films, offers indisputable evidence that in suburbia there have always been two sets of morality standards -- one for public activities, and one for the bedroom.

*Criterion’s upcoming release of The Incredible Shrinking Man is sourced from a brand new 4K master that was prepared after the film was fully restored in 4K by Universal Studios in Universal City, California.

The Incredible Shrinking Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Incredible Shrinking Man arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This 4K digital restoration was undertaken by Universal Pictures. A new digital transfer was created on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the 35mm original camera negative and restored at Universal Studios, Universal City, California. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm magnetic track at NBCUniversal StudioPost in Universal City."

The Incredible Shrinking Man man features a lot of image overlapping that was done to create the new reality of the main protagonist, which produces some unusual visual material that is rather difficult to judge. Why? Because there are significant and obvious fluctuations that are part of the original 'special effects', and because when the film was edited and put together some additional, quite significant adjustments were made. I think that during the restoration process some particular work was done to rebalance these visuals as best as possible, which is why some areas may appear a tad softer than they should. However, on my system the film looked wonderful and had a very pleasing organic appearance. It looked very healthy as well. So, I like the technical presentation a lot, and I think that it will be the best we see for this film on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Incredible Shrinking Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I thought that the lossless audio was outstanding. I could instantly tell that it was restored because clarity, sharpness, and especially balance were very good for a film from the 1950s. Dynamic intensity was as I expected it to be. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The Incredible Shrinking Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for The Incredible Shrinking Man. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Teaser - vintage teaser trailer for The Incredible Shrinking Man. Narrated by Orson Wells. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• 8MM Versions - two home cinema versions of The Incredible Shrinking Man. In English, not subtitled. (17 min).

• Jack Arnold (1983) - a collection of excerpts from interviews with Jack Arnold conducted by German journalist Roland Johannes in August 1983 on the Universal Studios lot. The bulk of the comments address the production of The Incredible Shrinking Man, its themes, and appearance. Prepared by Fiction Factory. In English, not subtitled. (27 min).

• The Lost Music of The Incredible Shrinking Man - in this program, horror film music expert David Schecter presents recordings previously lost and unused from The Incredible Shrinking Man's score. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Suspense: Return to Dust - presented here is an archival radio play about a scientist shrinking in his lab and looking for help, which original aired on the program Suspense on February 1, 1959. The scientist is played by Richard "Dick" Beals, an actor with a unique high-pitches voice. In English, not subtitled. (19 min).

• Let's Get Small - in this new program, Joe Dante (Matinee) and comedian and writer Dana Gould discuss The Incredible Shrinking Man. The program was produced in 2021. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Terror at Every Turn! - in this new program, visual effects supervisor Craig Barron and sound designer Ben Burtt discuss the special effects and techniques used in The Incredible Shrinking Man. The program was produced in 2021. In English, not subtitled. (25 min).

• The Infinitesimal: Remembering "The Shrinking Man" - in this new program, writer Richard Christian Matheson discusses the genesis of The Incredible Shrinking Man, the era from which it emerged, and its unique themes and qualities. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Auteur on the Campus" Jack Arnold at Universal (Director's Cut) - this new documentary examines the legacy and career of Jack Arnold as well as the evolution of the Universal's post-war horror films. It features commentary by author and film historian Tom Weaver, director Dana M. Reemes, and author and film historian C. Courtney Joyner, amongst others. The documentary was produced by Ballyhoo Motion Pictures. In English, not subtitled. (51 min).

• Commentary - this new audio commentary was recorded by author and film historian Tom Weaver and horror music expert David Schecter.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Geoffrey O'Brien's essay "Other Dimensions" and technical credits.

The Incredible Shrinking Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Virtually all human beings begin to seriously examine the nature of their existence only when they face their inevitable demise. This practice is unlikely to change even if dramatic advancements in the medical and technology fields somehow alter some of the absolute certainties about life as we currently understand it. A bizarre incident forces the main protagonist in Jack Arnold's The Incredible Shrinking Man to prematurely begin reevaluating the nature of his existence and some of the statements he produces at the end of it are quite fascinating. This really is a fantastic genre film that brilliantly explores a range of timeless themes and as a result feels surprisingly relevant today. Criterion's release of The Incredible Shrinking Man is sourced from a lovely 4K master that was prepared after the film was fully restored at Universal Studios. Also, it has one of the best selections of bonus features that I have seen assembled on a Criterion release in quite some time. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.