Of course, the premise is so hokey, that it's hard at time to accept it. The idea of shrinking a submarine full of people is a bit too much. Once we accept that, it is a fun trip to places unknown. The cool thing is that it is not outer space; it is inner space. The show is well researched and the what if factor is continually embraced. I'm sure scientists and medical people were brought in to factor the possibilities of encounters in the bloodstream. The antibodies should be there because of an alien presence. We are really looking through a gigantic microscope. Of course, we are also into the political issues that are in the way of trying to accomplish the mission. There is quite a host of very good actors. The script is a bit shaky, but it's OK. Overall, a creative new venture.

Both US and USSR are developing miniaturization technology. Dr. Michaels (Donald Pleasence) is attacked riding in an American military convoy. He, agent Charles Grant (Stephen Boyd), pilot Captain Bill Owens (William Redfield), surgeon Dr. Peter Duval (Arthur Kennedy), and his assistant Cora Peterson (Raquel Welch) are gathered for a special mission. Soviet defector Jan Benes developed technology to shrink indefinitely for the USSR while the US can only do it for 60 minutes. Jan Benes is in a coma after a failed assassination attempt and the group is miniaturized in a special submarine to destroy his brain clot.The start is a little slow and maybe that's why there's an action scene at the beginning. While the movie is old fashion, it is filmed expertly with energy. The first act has a lot of exposition work for the actors to get thru which does slow it down. The methodical miniaturization process is not quite thrilling enough. Once the sub goes into the body, the adventure begins. These are top notch special effects for its day. The designs are good. The submarine does restrict the action to some extend. Nevertheless, this is an old fashion sci-fi classic and it introduced Raquel Welch to many hot-blooded males. I would definitely help rip off those attacking cells for her.

I had heard a lot about this movie and even knew how it ended. With all that being said, I was still really glad I saw it and it was amazingly good. There's probably some personal bias here. I love stories about shrinking people. I have also been fascinated by anatomy for awhile now. I kept asking myself whether or not this was scientifically accurate. It makes me think about my old days in High School where we learn about the pulmonary vein and the like. I'm glad that there's a note afterwards that says the people working on the movie actually did consult actual doctors to make sure they got their facts right.From what I do remember, this seems to be accurate. Anyway, this film is notorious for having a rather glaring plot hole, but that could actually be explained. It's clearly stated that all the characters go back to their normal size after an hour. One of the crew's members, Dr. Michaels, is shrunk down and killed in the ship while everyone else leaves the man's body. Now, the movie actually ends right there, so we really don't have any idea what happens next. It could be argued that the mission became a complete failure and the guy was killed when the ship went back to normal size, but we don't see that. Isaac Asimov complained about this and actually wrote a novelization that corrects this. It's said Dr. Michaels' body and the ship leave the body with the other characters.Now, we still don't see any of this happen in the movie, so it's actually difficult to say what really happened. Isaac Asimov's book version actually came out before the release of the movie so his interpretation is probably more accurate. With all this being said, I still love this movie. The strange thing is that the film has been referenced many times in pop culture, but it doesn't have a high rating here, which I find to be a shame. I truly consider this one of the best sci-fi films ever made. Again, it might be just because it uses ideas I really like.I just love the pacing of this film. It turns out this movie actually does take place in real time with the hour passing. I just love the sets in this film. I am so impressed at how this really does hold up after all these decades! None of it looks fake. I loved it from the very beginning with how creative the credits were! It just knows how to set itself up. I like movies that are big and epic, but I think the length was just perfect here. Well 100 minutes is a really even number. It was interesting to have scenes that were so quiet.It's also great to see how Dr. Michaels is slowly built up as the antagonist. Again, I already knew this but it was still brilliantly done. I just love the atmosphere this film produces. It's such a pretty looking film. It just sets up its story and deals with it so well. It's a straight forward story that doesn't try to be too elaborate. Yeah, this film is far from obscure, but I really wish more people would watch and love it! ****

A scientist is nearly assassinated. In order to save him, a submarine is shrunken to microscopic size and injected into his blood stream with a small crew. Problems arise almost as soon as they enter the bloodstream.This film is pretty well known, with most people who have seen it or at least heard of it. It has also been largely influential. Obviously, it returned as "Innerspace" and Disney used to have a ride called "Body Wars" that was no doubt a spin on this. Heck, even video games like "Life Force" owe a debt.Some of the effects are silly, but it seems intentional. They make a point of saying that what we normally see as red can look different close up. I suppose there is some truth to that. Raquel Welch is here... not fighting dinosaurs. And Donald Pleasance, as well... not fighting pure evil.