The world was rocked when the Atomic Bomb was used during World War II, but not only in terms of its real-world destruction. It sparked the imagination in terms of the possibilities of what science could achieve, along with stoking the fears of what could happen if this new force ran unchecked. Paired with the birth of the Cold War and America’s scientific competition with the Soviet Union, the 1950s became a “Golden Age” of science fiction. All sorts of media hopped onto this bandwagon, and no medium was more present with this than in movies. The silver screen played host to all sorts of science fiction films, inspired by these new passions and fears. A fascination with space and what lies beyond would bring films like The Day the Earth Stood Still, while paranoia about communism would fuel feature films such as Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Most prominent in the era were fears about the effects of radiation, often presented through mutated creatures in films such as Them! and It Came from Beneath the Sea. However, one film turned this topic onto the subject of man himself, standing out as a more stripped down but still evocative science film story. Co-written by Richard Matheson and based on his own book, The Incredible Shrinking Man takes those fears of radiation and uses them as an outlet to explore man’s own sense of self in a broadening existence.
What should be a quiet vacation with his wife takes a turn for the nightmarish when Scott Carey is exposed to a mysterious radioactive mist. Though there is no visible effect at first, after a few months he notices that his clothes are a bit too big, that he seems to be a little shorter. It is only after a doctor’s visit that the truth comes out: due to whatever was in that mist, Scott Carey is now shrinking. As doctors work to find some way to stop his condition, Scott becomes a media sensation that the press calls “the incredible shrinking man”. Growing smaller with each passing day, he grows more frustrated as his own self-worth diminishes along with his size. He even grows small enough that a common housecat and a spider become oversized threats to him. As he fights to survive and find his way in the face of this illogical situation, one burning question remains: just how small will Scott Carey become?
Running at a brisk 81 minutes, The Incredible Shrinking Man is a lean and philosophical science fiction story. Eschewing the original novel’s flashback structure for a more linear telling, it hops through moments in Scott Carey’s life as he grows ever smaller. This size-changing is well-realized through some clever special effects. From oversized set pieces and props to compositing by shooting against a black velvet backdrop, the film manages to pull off Scott’s shrinking and sell this strange new reality for the main character. Of course, the effects are only part of the equation. Whereas some of the science fiction films leaned into spectacle, this movie has its focus firmly on the characters and takes its time to tap into their fears. Grant Williams sells this component in his performance as Scott Carey, painting Scott’s descent from initial puzzlement to bitter resentment as he grows ever smaller. Even when the sight of him in a dollhouse or looking like a child straining to look over a windowsill might be ridiculous, he never loses sight of the turmoil in this situation. In fact, that turmoil is the core crux to this story.
Throughout history, humanity has had a specific view of its place in the world, of their importance and power on the Earth. As the technological march in the 1950s gave humanity a greater view of the cosmos and the reach of the stars, it also gave a stark reminder of just how small we all are in the grand scheme of things. This thought, that we might not be as big and important as we see ourselves, can inspire dread in some and is given a vivid portrait through Scott Carey’s predicament. At the start, he is confident and charming, ever playful with his wife. As he grows smaller, steadily shrinking from six feet to three feet, he grows bitter and more tyrannical over her. He grasps at any straw he can to still feel normal, desperate to feel like the man that he once was. It’s only from further shrinking, to a point where his own basement seems like a vast desert, that the wheels turn towards some kind of acceptance. Everything, from the widest reaches of space to the smallest molecules, are still part of this universe. They are still a piece of the tapestry of existence, with nothing wasted. It is a reassuring thought, one that can still help people as our eyes stay fixed to the skies and we peer ever deeper into the cosmos.
The Golden Age of science fiction brought a multitude of science fiction visions to the big screen, from atomic creature features to awe-inspiring alien encounters. The Incredible Shrinking Man stands out from the crowd with a more minimalist set-up, using the era’s fears of radiation to explore the existential dread in humanity’s small place among the vast universe.
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