The Incredible Shrinking Man

Released Apr 1, 1957

1h 21m

Sci-Fi

List

83%

54 Reviews

Tomatometer

82%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

While on a boating trip, Scott Carey (Grant Williams) is exposed to a radioactive cloud. Nothing seems amiss at first, but several months later Scott realizes that he's shrunk in height by several inches. He sees a doctor, who admits that he's baffled. As Scott continues to shrink, decreasing to three feet tall, he becomes bitter, and lashes out at his wife, Louise (Randy Stuart). He begins to fear a cure will never be found -- since even as he becomes a national sensation, he's still shrinking.

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Critics Consensus

A curiously sensitive and spiritual addition to the Universal Monsters line-up, tacking on deep questions about a story who is shrinking to death.

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Daniel C. M

A great work of existential dread that every movie lover should see. The effects, miniature work, and specially the ending are perfect.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/06/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Not your typical fare, The Incredible Shrinking Man, at its core, is an examination of man's preconceptions of what constitutes value and one's own self worth. It is poignant and profound, delivering one of the most beautifully written endings in film history. On the Sci Fi end, It also delivers some great visuals. This is a singular Sci Fi masterpiece.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/01/24

Full Review

Chris r

It was a really good movie, thought provoking funny emotion-full. I loved it I watched it in theater at Film Forum the new 4k restoration. If ever the chance def watch this at a theater. Definitely worth your time.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/03/23

Full Review

Matthew B

Jack Arnold was no movie auteur, and his range was limited. He did not get to work with big budgets or A-list actors. What Arnold did know was how to make intelligent sci-fi movies that had good pace and well-constructed action scenes. Arnold did not employ the quasi-documentary approach that was common in 1950s sci-fi, but preferred to concentrate on traditional story-telling. The Incredible Shrinking Man is narrated by Scott Carey (Grant Williams), the titular hero of the story. It is not clear to whom he is narrating, or how he is narrating the story since he will soon shrink to a size which would make holding a pen impossible. Perhaps he is relating it to himself. Scott is enveloped in a cloud that leaves him covered in moisture. The cloud is first seen as a tiny drawing during the opening credits, which also show a silhouetted man shrinking next to the oversized words. We never find out where this mist came from, but later suggestions are that it is radioactive. Radiation was the familiar cause of all ills in 1950s sci-fi, as the nuclear age caused many to feel pessimistic about whether the scientific developments of the age were bringing us to a new age of progress, or throwing up terrible dangers that we could not foresee. This movie uses a familiar bugbear then, but manages to combine it with a new one that would take longer to be taken seriously. As he begins to shrink, Scott tries unsuccessfully to adjust to his new condition. Scott's predicament could almost be that of any other healthy person who has suffered from a debilitating or disabling illness. Just as he shrinks before the world, then so his own world shrinks before him. Normal household items become difficult to handle or use, as we see when we watch Scott eat, or hold a telephone receiver. In the third act of the movie, innocent things will become threatening. Soon Scott will be menaced by the family cat, which he was able to lift off his bed when he was at full height; later still a household spider will be a danger to him. Arnold's visual techniques are not especially original. He uses oversized sets and props. He also employs split screens, process shots and back projections. While the effects have been bettered since, they still look quite effective here. Sound too plays a part. As Scott becomes very small, his voice sounds tinny when he is viewed from Louise's perspective. In later scenes where he is struggling to be heard by other characters, the volume is turned so low that we can barely hear him too. When the sound viewed from his perspective, it is played at a louder volume, as during the cat attack, where its meow becomes a roar. With The Incredible Shrinking Man, Arnold showed that sci-fi could be made into something better than the cheap, badly-made exploitation movies that were so common in this period. It could be made into a respectable genre that is exciting and thought-provoking. It would be another decade or two before the consensus about sci-fi movies began to swing in this direction. I wrote a longer appreciation of The Incredible Shrinking Man on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2018/04/08/the-incredible-shrinking-man-1957/

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/25/23

Full Review

Shioka O

It started as an intriguing scientific mystery, then drastically shifted to an endless relentless survival adventure. Eventually the ending is spiritual and thought-provoking. Special effects and the sets are okay to watch but outdated. This hugely owed to the actor, the direction is quite static and observant. Overall interesting character study.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

georgan g

One of my favorite old sci fi movies. A great concept with the screen play written by the same author as the book. The special effects where really good for that era.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Jack Arnold

Director

Grant Williams

Scott Carey

Randy Stuart

Louise Carey

April Kent

Clarice

Paul Langton

Charlie Carey

William Schallert

Doctor Arthur Bramson

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Jean Yothers

Orlando Sentinel

The film's trick photography is pretty good. The acting, pretty poor. Regardless, it holds a horrible fascination.

Sep 24, 2021

Full Review

Mae Tinee

Chicago Tribune

Oversize sets and trick photography are extremely obvious and utterly unconvincing.

Sep 24, 2021

Full Review

Marjory Adams

Boston Globe

It will be pleasant to see Williams and Miss Stuart again. They are far better theatrically than the usual run of players in this type of picture.

Sep 24, 2021

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

...Simple storytelling, vivid effects and a disturbing premise which is followed through to the bitter end; Arnold and Matheson are cult figures now, and this is reason enough for their canonisation....

Rated: 4/5

Jan 23, 2024

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Jack Arnold’s screen adaptation of Richard Matheson’s novel 'The Shrinking Man' is compassionate, intelligent, and the most metaphysical American science fiction film until Stanley Kubrick’s '2001: A Space Odyssey.'

Jan 6, 2024

Full Review

Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

It feels a lot like other horror films with incredible special effects...

Feb 28, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

While on a boating trip, Scott Carey (Grant Williams) is exposed to a radioactive cloud. Nothing seems amiss at first, but several months later Scott realizes that he's shrunk in height by several inches. He sees a doctor, who admits that he's baffled. As Scott continues to shrink, decreasing to three feet tall, he becomes bitter, and lashes out at his wife, Louise (Randy Stuart). He begins to fear a cure will never be found -- since even as he becomes a national sensation, he's still shrinking.

Director: Jack Arnold
Screenwriter: Richard Matheson
Distributor: MCA/Universal Home Video, Universal Pictures, Ultra Pictures
Production Co: Universal International Pictures
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 1, 1957, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2014
Runtime: 1h 21m

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