What one critic st the time called "the summer's best summer movie" is, sadly, exactly that: a contrived and familiar cross section of up-to-the-minute trends, with a shelf life just long enough to last beyond the initial video rentals in six months time. Under the direction of Joe Dante (one of the brighter stars in the Steven Spielberg galaxy) it exhibits quite a bit of slapstick flair, while wasting most of its comic potential on frantic over-plotting and miles of distracting hardware.
The idea is almost clever: during a top-secret miniaturization experiment cocky test pilot Dennis Quaid is accidentally injected with his self-contained capsule into the bloodstream of meek, nervous supermarket clerk Martin Short (never mind how or why). But the tone is often uncertain (is Martin Short's howl of pain when he feels tiny grappling hooks on the back of his eyeball supposed to be funny?) and the extraneous plot details – spies, car chases, a cybernetic villain, a beautiful girlfriend (naturally a reporter) – haven't changed much since the last action/comedy hit. The end result is mindless, unmemorable fun for undemanding viewers who don't expect anything more.
The idea is almost clever: during a top-secret miniaturization experiment cocky test pilot Dennis Quaid is accidentally injected with his self-contained capsule into the bloodstream of meek, nervous supermarket clerk Martin Short (never mind how or why). But the tone is often uncertain (is Martin Short's howl of pain when he feels tiny grappling hooks on the back of his eyeball supposed to be funny?) and the extraneous plot details – spies, car chases, a cybernetic villain, a beautiful girlfriend (naturally a reporter) – haven't changed much since the last action/comedy hit. The end result is mindless, unmemorable fun for undemanding viewers who don't expect anything more.