1950s sci-fi movies were a steady diet of hostile aliens or homegrown mutants in unprovoked assault against humankind. The threat was so horrific there were hardly words to describe the creatures: It Came from Outer Space. Behold the The Thing From Another World. And what could be more blood-curdling than an Invasion of the Body Snatchers?
Man Made Mutations as a Form of Sci-Fi Monsters
We were entering dangerous relationship with nature, critics warned. In our effort to tame and control nature, we might unleash forces beyond our control. In the science fiction imagination, "atomic age" mutations caused by “radioactivity” were everywhere and typically BIG: The Amazing Colossal Man or giant locusts, tarantulas, and ants on the hunt for human prey. In the midst of this onslaught came The Incredible Shrinking Man, a low budget thriller that continues to garner critical acclaim. It had enough excitement and close-your-eyes gasps to satisfy any action seeker, but it was also one of the first “thinking person’s” sci-fi films.
The plot: an average Scott Carey is accidentally exposed to a radioactive pesticide and begins to shrink, from 6’ 2” down, down, down to...? In the process, he faces horrifying monsters, but they are an ordinary house cat and a garden spider suddenly much larger than his diminishing body. The greatest enemy he confronts is himself, trying to adapt to a Kafkaesque world spinning quickly out of control.
A Science Fiction Story That Transcends the Battle of Good and Evil
It’s a uniquely personal tale reminiscent of the prototypical Western of the era where individualism, pioneering spirit and moral character propel the hero against all odds.
The conclusion is unexpected, even improbable. There is no resolution. The good guy prevails more than wins. Scott continues to shrink and eventually squeezes through the tiny screen opening and delivers himself from a basement prison to the vast outside. He will enter smaller and smaller worlds where presumably his human intelligence and ingenuity remain intact.
Scott becomes reconciled to his fate: “So close - the infinitesimal and the infinite. But suddenly, I knew they were really the two ends of the same concept. And in that moment, I knew the answer to the riddle of the infinite…My fears melted away. And in their place came acceptance. All this vast majesty of creation, it had to mean something. And then I meant something, too. Yes, smaller than the smallest, I meant something, too. To God, there is no zero. I still exist!”
Trivia on The Incredible Shrinking Man
Orson Wells did the narration for the movie trailer.
Richard Matheson, author of the novel and screenwriter, penned another script where Scott Carey’s wife shrinks herself to go in search of her husband. It never materialized, which is probably a good thing.
A sequel, so-called, is coming soon. At least it will have the same title. Eddie Murphy plays the lead. It’s a comedy---if anyone laughs. Remember Pluto Nash? Murphy plays a Las Vegas magician put under a shrinking spell who must find a way to re-size before he disappears. Apparently, he will lack the philosophical insight of a Scott Carey.
Terry Hamburg - I studied to be a history professor until seductive counterculture sirens lured my ship astray. Eventually, I wanted to re-join the ...
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