Like both VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA and 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, FANTASTIC VOYAGE is set aboard a submerged craft on a perilous mission- only this time around, the journey isn't under the sea but deep inside a human brain. While many of the effects are garishly colorful and not always convincing, the movie's a lot of fun. (It would've been far more suspenseful had the inner workings of The Human Body been presented SANS the garish lighting throughout, and doing scenes taking place in Bodily Fluids should've been done in a lightless tank, at the very least.) Anyone so inclined can find George Romero's Calgon commercial online: it's a takeoff on FANTASTIC VOYAGE, with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD's Karl Hardeman doing an over the top take as a scientist; it's definitely worth hunting down.

Fantastic Voyage is a wonderful, old-fashioned sci-fi adventure ripe with unique ideas. I like the idea about exploring the inside of a human body, something that hasn't been done much even at a time where original ideas are practically non-existent. The film is not all perfect, as the visual effects are very outdated, though it's still cool to look at. I also had an issue with some of the characterization, mainly with Raquel Welch's character. I had no idea what the point of her role was other than being eye candy. But for the most part, I had a fun time watching the movie and it was even a learning experience for me, learning about the human body. I also loved the score for the film. It wasn't so much a score as it was a sound effects party. In most cases, I would have been annoyed, but I felt such a score would belong in a film like this.Richard Fleischer's film is about this scientist who is mortally wounded by gunfire, and he holds the secret to miniaturization that could be catastrophic if the information fell in the wrong hands. The CIA decides to do emergency brain surgery, but in order to do so, they most get miniaturized themselves and take a trip into the human body. Grant was hired to act as security, because the CIA fear one of their own may be with the enemy.The film was reasonably well-acted. Stephen Boyd, more known as Judah Ben Hur's enemy in 1959's Ben-Hur does a pretty good job. This is Raquel Welch's film debut, but I'm not sure the point of her character was. There was no romantic subplot or she hardly ever speaks. This was probably my biggest bugaboo. Donald Pleasance, mostly known for starring in horror films, does a wonderful job as the lead doctor.Overall, Fantastic Voyage is a fun sci-fi movie that holds up pretty well today, story-wise. The visuals were good for its time, but not so much today. I loved the idea of exploring the human body, and I think this film does that justice. When the body's immune system starts attacking everyone was a very interesting scene to watch. I was expecting a cheesy sci-fi movie to be honest, but I was pleasantly surprised. Maybe I shouldn't be with how the cast was. While nowhere near perfection, it was a fun movie to watch.My Grade: B+

When I was a young lad, approximately 10 years of age, I was a tremendous big fan of a Sci-Fi comedy called "Innerspace", released in 1987 and starring Dennis Quaid and Martin Short. Little did I know back then that this movie was inspired and also - knowing the director Joe Dante – paying tribute to the 1966 groundbreaking adventure "Fantastic Voyage". You won't hear me state that this is a flawless masterpiece, or even that the special effects and visuals still look mesmerizing by today's standards, but it definitely still stands as one of the most imaginative and original Sci-Fi adventures ever made. The plot and futuristic world perspective of "Fantastic Voyage" are quite ambitious and grotesque, even for contemporary sixties standards, but that is probably what makes it so unique. I'm sure that, back in 1966, certain people honestly assumed that this type of scientific technology would be possible around the year 2000. The story actually is typical Sci- Fi fodder, only… completely different! Numerous movies of its kind revolve on an elite crew going on a dangerous expedition into the unfamiliar territories of outer space. Well, "Fantastic Voyage" revolves on an elite crew going on a dangerous expedition into the unfamiliar territories of INNER space! The titular fantastic voyage is, in fact, a journey inside the human body. When diplomat Jan Benes is nearly assassinated, a five-headed crew (2 doctors, a female assistant, a pilot and a safety guard) and their especially designed submarine are urgently miniaturized and injected into his comatose body in order to neutralize a lethal blood knot from inside his brains. They only have 60 minutes before the current miniaturization techniques abruptly stop working and they grow back to their normal size, so it's absolutely essential to succeed their mission because the patient is the only person who knows the secret to expand the miniaturization time! Okay, admittedly this last aspect of the plot is somewhat tacky, but don't allow it to ruin the fun! The biggest accomplishment of "Fantastic Voyage" is that Richard Fleischer, and of course his cast and crew, succeed in making our everyday human body equally mysterious and menacing as the outskirts of space … and even more so! The landscapes of the heart are more ominous than desolate planets, the cyclones in the lungs or tidal waves in the ear are heavy ordeals and our bodies' defense mechanisms are more aggressive than aliens. The story simultaneously also focuses on the search for a saboteur among the crew members, although it's fairly obvious from the beginning who this is (especially if you're a bit familiar with the oeuvres of the players). Raquel Welch's role is rather redundant, but she looks nice in her tight uniforms and her male colleagues were offered the unique occasion to fondle her boobs during one particular scene. Reading other reviews and posts on the message board around here, it seems that many people want this film to receive a remake. I, for one, don't agree. I would hate to see a fully computerized version of this film and will always prefer the charm and old-fashioned skills of classic Sci-Fi.

Fantastic Voyage has got to be one of the most unique, entertaining, and imaginative SyFy films ever produced in Hollywood during the 1960s.Fantastic Voyage is an amazing journey that travels to the deepest reaches of space - Inner space.A daring team of adventurers are subjected to the technology of miniaturization and together they travel in a high-tech mini-submarine inside the body of a leading scientist in order to destroy a life-threatening blood clot in his brain.Fantastic Voyage features some great set designs and, for its time, some pretty impressive visual effects.