“Steven Spielberg presents a Joe Dante film.” Six words of guaranteed Blockbuster magic if one has ever heard them. From the classic, influential 1984 Gremlins to the wacky, satirical 1990 sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch, all the way to 1998’s rollicking adventure Small Soldiers (the badass live-action answer to Pixar’s Toy Story (1995)), this duo has been responsible for many great Hollywood adventures. One of the duo’s unsung ‘80s classics, Innerspace, recently received an updated home release restoration, courtesy of Arrow Video.
The action-comedy follows cocksure Maverick pilot Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid), who agrees to be a part of a science experiment in which he is miniaturized and injected into the body of a rabbit. One thing leads to another and the pilot finds himself, instead, within the body of hypochondriac, anxious store clerk Jack Putter (Martin Short). Forced to work together, the two men link up with Tuck’s ex-girlfriend, reporter Lydia Maxwell (Meg Ryan), and race against time to find the technology to get Tuck free before the villainous rivals catch him.
In addition to its promise of fun adventure, the film has a winning formula in its lead casting. Pair an attractive and obnoxiously cocky Dennis Quaid (The Substance; Enemy Within) with a side-splitting, brilliant Martin Short (The Prince of Egypt; ¡Three Amigos!) and divide the two with an adorably quirky Meg Ryan (Top Gun; What Happens Later) and you have a key trio that cannot lose on the big screen.
The following home release review is based on a Blu-ray check disc provided by Arrow Video via MVD Entertainment Group. Be advised that, in addition to the Blu-ray limited edition, Arrow Video is also simultaneously releasing this title with a limited edition 4K UHD.
Amidst the fun and the adventure, the secret weapon of this film’s charm lies within its shrewd mismatched characterization. When we begin this film (right after a stunning title sequence where sparkles and twinkles are transitioned into ice cubes in a shot glass), we see Tuck Pendleton making a supreme ass of himself at a party. He staggers around, throws insults at his fellow pilots, gets in a brawl in the back kitchen, and leaves his girlfriend Lydia rather embarrassed. The morning after, he’s dumped by Lydia in the middle of street as she drives away in a cab, leaving him with nothing but a bath towel that’s been ripped off by the cab door. Literally left bare-assed in the middle of the street is a rather pathetic introduction to one half of the film’s heroes. Cut to the introduction of the other half. Jittery Jack Putter is in a doctor’s office retelling an audacious nightmare (which pays off in a hilarious way later on) in which an older woman shoots him because her grocery items are ringing up at extravagantly high prices. After admitting to him that his frequent visits are literally a big source of his regular income, the doctor (a great William Schallert) dismisses Jack and tells him (for the umpteenth time) that there is nothing to fear. Needless to say, these guys are schmucks — but that’s why the audience is bound to love them … because they’re human. Tuck is a more obnoxious and flawed Maverick from Top Gun (1986) whereas Jack is a craven, frisky, real-life Inspector Gadget. Trapping an impulsive macho shmuck within a nervous, scaredy-cat schmuck is an ingenious brew of great odd couple characterization.
Packshot of the Arrow Video release for INNERSPACE. Photo courtesy of Arrow Video and MVD Entertainment Group.
The chemistry between Quaid and Short is undeniable. Even though they rarely share a frame together, the frenemy bond is felt and the two characters bounce off each other really well. Meg Ryan bounces well off Short in their scenes together where she plays the perfect “straight woman” to Short’s insanity. Trio aside, the film is filled with hilarious one-liners (Quaid says in one scene “I’m in a strange man, surrounded by strangers in a strange room”), great physical comedy (any scene where Jack’s body is going through a physical change), and sexual innuendos (there’s a “vibrator” gag at one point). The film’s plot is Spielbergian in nature — an adventure of a pea-sized pilot trying to survive within the body of a full-grown man — but its dark undertones of sex-crazed villains and Terminator-like henchmen are every bit of Dante. Dante’s is a dark, inverted version of Spielberg’s imagination — his characters are more subversive, messy, and humanly complex. That’s what makes their pairing so special, especially in this film. The film’s Academy Award-winning special effects are stunning in this updated restoration (approved by Dante himself). The “innerspace” scenes are colorfully mastered and the film is no less fresh or audacious as it was when it premiered in 1987. The Arrow Video release (as always) carries a treat for its collectors. The release has an archive audio commentary from Dante, producer Michael Finnell, and many more; a new hour-long documentary of the making of the film; great behind-the-scenes content; and a perfect-bound booklet including writing by many film critics and a short guide to Joe Dante’s stock company by Scott Saslow.
Innerspace Limited Edition Special Features:
- *NEW* Brand new restoration from the original 35mm negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Joe Dante
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- *NEW* Newly restored original lossless 2.0 stereo, original 70mm 6-track mix in DTS-HD MA 4.1 surround and newly remixed Dolby Atmos audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- *NEW* Brand new audio commentary by film critic Drew McWeeny
- Archive audio commentary with director Joe Dante, producer Michael Finnell, visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren and actors Kevin McCarthy and Robert Picardo
- *NEW* Shrinkage: The Making of Innerspace, a brand new hour-long documentary featuring newly filmed interviews with director Joe Dante, producer Michael Finnell, visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren, visual effects artists Harley Jessup and Bill George and ac
- *NEW* Behind the Scenes with Joe Dante, previously unseen video footage shot during the production of Innerspace
- *NEW* Behind the Scenes at ILM, previously unseen footage shot by visual effects supervisor Dennis Muren during production
- Original storyboards
- Continuity and Behind the Scenes Polaroids
- Production stills gallery
- Posters and Promo stills gallery
- Theatrical trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Doug John Miller
- Double-sided fold-out poster featuring two original artwork options
- Collectors’ perfect-bound booklet featuring new writing by film critics Charlie Brigden, Michael Doyle, Josh Nelson, Jessica Scott and Andrea Subissati, a short guide to Joe Dante’s stock company by Scott Saslow, plus the original exhibitors pamphlet
Available on 4K UHD and Blu-ray April 28th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official Arrow Video Innerspace webpage.
To purchase, head to the official MVD Entertainment Group Innerspace webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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