InnerSpace (1987) Retrospective / Review

[@maujo2009]

So many original ideas and movies in the eighties! You see today's box office and it's all f--ing remakes.

[@OutyBanjo]

We've been retelling the same 100 stories for 30,000 years.

[@maujo2009]

Outy Banjo lol, I agree. But never so blatantly unoriginal like these days

[@k1productions87]

Hollywood was far less corporate-minded in the 80's and 90's. Today, you have to GUARANTEE instant box office draw or personally bankroll a project yourself. In their current backward corporate mindset, the easiest way to guarantee box office returns is to remake what previously sold.

[@supastar25]

Remakes, sequels reboots after barely 10 years from the original...just so boring and stale

[@squirrelknight9768]

@@OutyBanjo could you tell me the 30.000 year old legend of the shrunken man injected into another man then?

[@OliverHarper]

hey there, thank you very much for the supportive and kind feedback. What i really want to do is work in documentaries especially in the DVD market. Being a critic wasn't something i thought I'd be good at but fortunately people seem to like my opinion. I started doing these videos because so many reviewers on KZbin were just bashing films for fun and taking them out of context to make a joke and often encouraging people to dislike a movie. I wanted to change that and do something new. :)

[@jigmeoser]

You've come so far. Really love your stuff.

[@alucard624]

This was definitely a high concept comedy and totally a cult hit. I remember seeing this as a kid and thinking it was pretty funny. Saw it a few years ago as an adult and loved it. Definitely one of my all time favorite Dennis Quaid movies. Martin Short was hilarious in this, and Meg Ryan never looked better.

[@tychomonolith9998]

One of my favourite eighties movies and Joe Dante's best work - a perfect blend of action, comedy and adventure, something Hollywood has forgotten how to make!

[@lisvender]

I love this movie. Joe Dante has a singular ability to create what I call "non-animated cartoons." Thank you for the intelligent and informative review. I feel that Dennis Quaid and Martin Short are criminally unappreciated as actors, while Meg Ryan is the weak link of the film.

[@FrancisXLord]

It's not Meg Ryan's fault, it was the writer who made her a thin character. Largely, at the time, women were simply love interests in films, someone for the guy to get in the end as a kind of icing on the cake. There were exceptions to this principle of course, but every exception you might quote I'll give you ten examples where that was true.

[@daustin8888]

@@FrancisXLord So true. I know among the anti feminist crowd, the "Girl Power" stuff in movies is obnoxious. But I'd prefer that over the paper thin cliches of the 60s through 90s.

[@StarShipGray]

I have this film on DVD and Laserdisc. It has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. I remember when it came out. At STLV this year Robert Picardo was selling two pairs of Cowboy boots he wore for the film and a script both he and Joe Dante had signed. He was a real treat to meet. He liked what I brought for him to sign so much that he posted it and me on Instagram!

[@OliverHarper]

Thanks a lot for your recent comments dude. Always appreciate your feedback.

[@chazthurgood121]

Nice to see "Innerspace" get some praise. Have you ever seen "To Live and Die In L.A.". I think it's a great movie, but I never really hear anyone talk about it.

[@kommissar.murphy]

It's a good movie, but Jim Carrey took a lot of inspiration for ace ventura from William petersons character, which makes it unintentionally funny to modern eyes.

[@rocnoir4233]

To Live and Die In L.A. has to be in my top ten. Superb.

[@amystadnik324]

As a kid of the 80s I loved this movie and always have

[@k1productions87]

I love the hell out of this movie. I will admit, as a child some of the internal anatomy frightened me, especially the racing heart valve. But, once getting over that one visual fear, I have found myself as one of the few people who can watch this movie over and over on a repetitive basis, and I have, and I still do. I honestly cannot fathom how it has become so forgotten, particularly because it is so unique.

[@prltqdf9]

To me, Innerspace was love at first watch. Saw it as a kid in the 80's. Now a proud owner of the Blu-ray version. Never get tired of this great movie.

[@nicholasbass8380]

This is a pretty great movie. If you haven't already done a Retrospective / Review on The 'Burbs, I would love to see you do one. Love that movie.

[@OliverHarper]

Cheers man, always appreciate the support!.

[@Heppellos]

How about doing a review for batteries not included?- another underrated 80s film...

[@roundtown74]

I do need to say that if there was EVER a movie that deserves a sequel it is THIS MOVIE! They certainly left it open for one. It could even kind of go the route of what happened with Tron:Legacy by having the child of Tuck and Lydia teaming up with Jack for some sort of adventure seeing as how we were told at the end, "Jack Putter to the rescue!"

[@adampeters7947]

The effects were just sooo good. Even now they hold up well

[@OliverHarper]

Thanks buddy!. yes TRON will be reviewed in the upcoming weeks.

[@OcpCommunications]

This was a fantastic and very informative review of one of my all time favorite films. Innerspace has been a big part of my life. I remember many a day or night watching my parent's VHS and just getting immersed in the world of Innerspace. The film is incredibly underrated in my opinion. It is a clever, witty and original take on Fantastic Voyage. The oscar winning visual effects are still fantastic and I still don't know how exactly they achieved all of the sfx.

[@edwardlecore141]

Dante's best film and one of the most underrated of all time.

[@GameplayandTalk]

Really enjoyed this one as a kid and it was a staple in our VHS library back in the day. I haven't seen it since the '90s at the very least, so I'll have to check it out again.

[@tedmcintosh3722]

Not only is InnerSpace a very entertaining movie. It’s also a very underrated movie !!!

[@sulphur77777]

a very good review. Its hard today to find something like that in youtube. Keep up the good work mate.

[@dh737]

Watched if over a hundred times when I was a kid. Just great !

[@OliverHarper]

Thanks Stew, glad you're enjoying the commentaries and Podcasts. I will be uploading the commentary to Stallones Dredd this weekend, Richard is a expect on Dredd and destroys the movie! lol .

[@jackflash8567]

I don't think "why is this movie forgotten?" the right question. InnerSpace was a flop so it's not really a mystery. The REAL question is why hasn't it become a cult classic. From what I understand the film was pretty popular on home video and like you say anyone that sees this film enjoys it so it really deserves to have a big cult following by now.

[@michaelmartin9022]

JackFlash85 This was a staple of bank holiday TV in the UK in the early 90's, saw it loads of times

[@Ugramosch]

@Oliver Eales cost = 27 mil - domestic box office = 25 mil. when a us film don´t play in the production cost domestic, it´s called a BO bomb or short a flop.

[@bicolouredprawn]

one of the absolute highlights of my childhood!

[@SaturnCanuck]

A great film. You forgot to mention one of the best parts -- in the credits. The traditional Special Effects credit says, "Mr Short's Interiors Provided by Industrial Light and Magic". Nice touch.

[@petercharleskrug]

The only thing I hated about this film was its open ending, and the fact that it never got a sequel. It felt like only being allowed to read the first half of a book without ever getting to find out how it actually ends.

[@TheCodedtestament]

Classic 80s movie.. You cannot go wrong with this movie.. well loved as a child and now as an adult.

[@OliverHarper]

hey bud thanks for the feedback. I have been asked to do Short Circuit a lot by my viewers. I may cover the first film at one point. :)

[@vincitveritas3872]

Please do👍

[@bigboam]

Innerspace was one of my favorite movies as a kid. Even now, it's amazing how well the effects hold up. Thanks for covering it!

[@Teeebs]

This amazing classic film is criminally underrated, and nearly forgotten today. That's a crying shame...

[@GreenSmog17]

i used to love this film as a kid and i watched it the other day aged 24 and still loved it lol

[@JesseWolfboy]

YESSSSSS, one of my favorite movies of all time!!!!

[@edvaira6891]

A movie that has one of the Best lines Ever: “Congratulations...you just DIGESTED the bad guy!”

[@Zoloft77]

I just realized that Mr. Igoe was played by the guy who played Wez from The Road Warrior.

[@OliverHarper]

Yes unfortunately no making ofs are available only a commentary on the DVD. So thats where I step in and try to fill the void. I hope you learnt something from the video. :)

[@stewartbladensb]

It's a rainy Sunday morning, I've got nothing to do now but watch InnerSpace.

[@StolenEyesX]

A great retrospective of on of my favourite 80’s movies, that’s well cast and with fantastic special effects for its time, that still hold up 30 years later. One interesting fact about the VHS release was that it was only available in widescreen, I believe at the insistence of director Joe Dante. There was even an explanatory prologue on the tape before the film, indicating that the black bars were “normal”. Ah, halcyon days... 😉

[@OliverHarper]

Cheers buddy, yeah I will probably cover Alien 3 in the future.

[@43nostromo]

Love Jerry Goldsmith.

[@Austinjamesmagic]

This has always been my favorite movie. I watch it about two to three times a year, and love showing it to friends who have never seen it. This film came out around my 1st birthday, when it was put on VHS my parrents rented it, and when they went to return it I would cry in protest! They had to buy the tape :P I watched it almost daly back then.

[@NathanBarley1]

I get what you mean with the re-watchability of this movie. I haven't seen this properly in about 15 years yet every now and again it pops into my head and I think what a great movie that was.

[@ryan8211982]

Innerspace was done by Director Joe Dante, two years after Explorers and three years after Gremlins. it was opened in July 1987 behind the movie version of Dragnet. Tuck Pendelton's Pod in Innerspace was similar to the Thunder Road in Explorers.

[@jaymcd8577]

Another 80s gem and well worth the phrase "They don't make'em like this anymore".

[@SunBunz]

I feel like I'm one of the only people who adore this movie. So many hate it, and I don't know why! I think it's fantastic, fun and touching!

[@BassCommunion]

I LLLove this movie! My dad had it on vhs and i must had watched it like a hundred times as a kid, so underrated, almost an "unknown" gem of scifi/action adventure with comedy bits thrown all over, it has a great soundtrack too

[@OliverHarper]

Thank you very much buddy!

[@OliverHarper]

yeah i watched the original trailer and noticed the Goonies music and when it came to editing the opening / ending montages i struggled to fit the InnerSpace score because the tone is totally different. InnerSpace is pretty much a comedy and it needed music to fit that so i used the Goonies score. lol

[@tdrewman]

Interspace was the first movie I rented that was in Widescreen. At first I thought what was this crap? Then right before the movie started it showed 2 side by side of the clip of the Martin short trying jump on the Mustang and you could see the difference a big one at that. I loved this movie and at the same time, it taught me the real way to watch a movie was in widescreen.

[@StolenEyesX]

The Drewman It was in released in widescreen at the insistence of Joe Dante, I believe. I found it hard to watch films in pan-and-scan after that, knowing that a lot of the picture was missing. Thankfully DVD came along, and we could watch movies properly.

[@hemidas]

Your review made me go back straight to my childhood. Thanks man.

[@dbreiden83080]

Great work as always Olly. You are fastly becoming the best reviewer on youtube with how you condense so much good info into 11 or 12 min..

[@GasheadSteve]

Oh shit.... Didn't know you did a retrospective on one of my fave 80s films :) Watching now... And Goonies music to boot on the trailer... class :)

[@Tyler1915]

I’ve been watching interspace since I was about three or four when my Dad put it on one day and I have loved it ever since.

[@OliverHarper]

and yes i will be doing Dark Crystal.

[@JtMills]

Yeah, I totally forgot about this until I caught it on tv again. I used to watch it taped off tv as a kid, and loved it. Now as an adult I can see why I did, because I love Joe Dante's films. Its a treat seeing all these actors from "The Howling", "Gremlins 2: The New Batch", or "The 'Burbs". Steven Spielberg being a producer is usually always a good sign too.

[@aarongriffin5294]

I thought 💭 that Twisting the night away was sung by Sam Cooke in the movie when Jack Putter got drunk with Tuck. He said said Rod Steward, rod version was at the end of the movie credits.

[@matthewcurran8618]

Joe Dante is one of my favorite directors! And InnerSpace is such a fantastic film. I miss fun movies like this. Hollywood is SO serious these days.

[@k1productions87]

Too corporate-minded today

[@awakeningcry]

"is that a five or a six?" a very versatile phrase that will always make me laugh, because of this film :)

[@aldoparziale2631]

I absolutely LOVE "Inner Space", "The Burbs", and "Gremlins 2", they were all part of my childhood, growing up in the eighties with two older brothers, I saw just about every Classic Movie and played every Classic Game from NES To SNES and Genesis and so on, very lucky and as for this movie in particular, I'm surprised it didn't do that well

[@JoeNerd11]

Yeah, this IS a great film. Very stange that for such a good picture it's so easily forgotten about. I myself had forgotten about it completely until your review. The review by the way was excellent! I can even remember now that one of the henchmen had a false hand that he could replace with a special "gun" hand.

[@utubeisCensorred]

I think Ant-man owes a lot to this film! haha. I loved it and still love it, especially some of the beach music.

[@Spike-hl2mw]

@Writer B.L. Alley He certainly means the 2015 Ant-Man movie. Innerspace is already a "rip-off" of Fantastic Voyage anyway.

[@reallyretro]

This was the first Joe Dante movie I saw in the theaters when I was 8 years old. Still love it to this day.

[@biggib8]

Childhood film one of my favs. It was quirky humour, the effects. The soundtrack is recognisable to me. Bit of Sam Cooke twisting night away lol. Very unique & simple story line combined well. The mini villains at the end lol. Digesting the bad guy lol.

[@TheNightBadger]

Oliver Harper Interesting about The Pet Shop Boys. Heart was a #1 hit in the UK at the start of '88. I saw Innerspace at the cinema. Loved it. Still think it's underrated, as with a lot of great movies by Joe Dante.

[@TravisDoesKayakFishing]

I remember my parents liked this movie when I was kid, so much so that I like it now.

[@sparrowsanzo]

It's about time somebody reviewed this classic.

[@spagzs]

Margaret takes off the gas mask and he hair is absolutely perfect 😂😂😂

[@jdraven0890]

Wow, the trailer is a 'great' example of 1980's/mid-1990's, when all the Studios thought they had to have Don LaFontaine tell you the set-up and plot.

[@Larry]

They used the soundtrack from The Goonies in the trailer? I've seen a few movies do that now, almost as bad as trailers using the music to Beetlejuice. Oh, and All Star by Smash Mouth >.>

[@OliverHarper]

The track was called Heart.

[@LudeandLude]

Another great review Olly! I loved this movie as a kid.

[@TaliaIGhul]

"You just digested the bad guy." LOL So wrong yet so well delivered.

[@stewmurray47]

Awesome review as always Olly! I've been off my work on holiday the last few weeks and have spent most of the time driving listening to your podcasts with Richard, the superman 3 commentary etc. All brilliant and highly entertaining buddy! Ah Inner Space. Absolutely love this movie, the effects, humour, Martin Short dancing, Mr Igo in that badass BMW!! I love that Vernon Wells is almost unrecognisable as Bennet in Commando!! lol

[@cjgonzilla7676]

Excellent film!!!! Ive always loved this one!!

[@GothamKnight84661]

Awesome review. Your one of the best revievers out there on youtube. I love to see your review of Tron someday if you ever get the chance to review it.

[@blackproject5677]

It's just a great movie, Period. It captured the time period perfect. For those of us that lived in the Bay Area during that time, it captured that as well. If you're a fan of Dennis, Meg, Marty, and the whole cast...it's awesome. It's just good, fun, settle in for a movie kind of gig. Thanks Joe and entire company!

[@TheGreatestPlayerInTheWorld]

One of my fave films of the 80’s 😍😍

[@OliverHarper]

Thank you very much for the great feedback. I need to review TRUE LIES. So look out for that in the near future.

[@DoctorPretorious616]

Great review! I enjoyed the movie, I think it's one of Joe Dante's best, up there with "The Howling" and his Gremlins films; but it's best years since I last saw it. I'll have to track down the DVD sometime. Thanks for highlighting an overlooked gem, you should do some more reviews spotlighting forgotten classics!

[@chrisallen9743]

The music playing during the first minute or so of the intro, is from The Goonies. Same music used in the actual movie, or was it put in by mistake when making this video?

[@resonanttotality8322]

Another that come to mind to review, Making Mr. Right.

[@brendanmatelan2129]

When I was a kid, it was one of my favorite movies and I watched it often.

[@axelwulf6220]

Innerspace is unique among many other movies Because it's not trying to insult the audience with its science, or make it out to be this ground breaking story But have the Odd Couple dynamic and a nifty toy/vehicle somewhere in the mix

[@adam_williamk8280]

A great early review! Excellent work!

[@TheRoyalOrora]

This is one of my favorite films! Along with UHF and Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla! I have this movie on DVD!

[@FlyingFocs]

That intro was enough to convince me to watch this movie.

[@noahfernandez1683]

Do a retrospectave on buckarro banzai across the 8th dimension

[@OliverHarper]

Noah Fernandez I did pick up the Bluray so look out for a review in the summer.

[@ryan8211982]

Vernon Wells who played Mr. Igoe in Innerspace went on to play the futuristic crime lord Ransik on Power Rangers Time Force.

[@youreallinsane]

Oh, I've seen this as a kid and think about it sometimes but forgot what it was called. It was pretty memorable for what it was, I guess.

[@masterofall4elements]

concerning great 80s comedies that are often forgotten about, check out Ruthless People. It's awesome !

[@damienstone5470]

Still the only movie I've seen where the actor recites Daimoku san cho, I always liked it for that :)

[@alexthorpe2522]

Haven't seen this since I was very young. I remember being freaked out by the guy being digested and his skeleton floating around

[@truthseeker3503]

one great line that has me howling is the toilet scene ... play with it pal, don't talk to it haha!!

[@shanecochran2491]

Oliver have you thought about updating some of the older reviews like interspace, or Outland for example :-D

[@OliverHarper]

Hi Shane, I want to update - Superman III, Masters of the Universe, Dragon The Bruce Lee Story and Time Cop.

[@shanecochran2491]

Thanks Oliver , I always look forward to your reviews . Would love to see an update on Timecop, Masters of the Universe ,and Dragon :-)

[@kimberlywiederhold627]

I loved this movie. It was fun to watch. It also showed what a comedic genius Martin Short is. No one else could have pulled off Jack Putter.

[@Sliider36]

i adore these sci-fi 80s films. anyways, could you maybe do Short Circuit, and give us youre insight on that sci-fi comedy?

[@JamesMC04]

A totally entertaining film. And not a minute too long.

[@stewmurray47]

Haha I bet he did! I'm sure I'll be agreeing with everything he's got to say about it. This has definitely become my favourite movie related podcast/commentary channel Olly. Being a massive Superman fan I'll be looking forward to your Quest For Peace commentary with Captain Logan and your take on the new Man of Steel trailer due next Tuesday. Thanks buddy, keep up the good work.

[@FreedomforHaiti]

I saw it many times in theaters when it was new, but once it came to video/cable, I didn't feel as compelled to keep watching it. Yet, if I had a chance to see it in a theater again, I would. I'm that way with a lot of movies--I prefer seeing them on a theater screen over TV. ........ When it came out I knew it wasn't doing well, so I told as many people as I could to go see it. ....... I never felt like it dragged at all.

[@SylvesterAshcroft88]

This is like an adult version of the magic schoolbus lol! XD Edit; Robert Picardo was the doctor from star trek voyager, I see the resemblance now, I also remember him from Stargate Atlantis, he was really good in that series as well!