One Paragraph Movie Review: The Incredible Shrinking Man

Two hundred and fifty-ninth film: The Incredible Shrinking Man, a 1957 science fiction film that really gives a lot of its plot away in the title. This film is about three things: Special effects, manliness, and the meaning of life. The special effects are great — astounding considering the decade — and with the exception of a dragging twenty-minute battle of wills, dressmaker’s pins, and a tarantula in the cellar, exciting. Protagonist Scott Carey faces increasingly decreasing problems, from loose pants to a curious housecat, with inventiveness and constant reminders of his manliness. As he wields his pins, he asserts “I still had my weapons. With these bits of metal I was a man again”, which is pretty big talk for a little guy. And finally, as Scott accepts his fate as an eternally diminishing person, we get to the grandiose ending and his last words: “To God, there is no zero. I still exist”. A surprisingly philosophical note for a movie with a giant Styrofoam piece of cake in it. Three unexplained and dangerous glitter mists out of five.