ironhorse_iv Review of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)

Size Does Matter. I like this intense little movie. It's a lot of fun!

[7/10 · 30 April 2016]

This movie is a great family-friendly adventure film that deserves another big look. Directed by Joe Johnston, this live-action Disney film tells the story of four kids, Nick Szalinski (Robert Oliveri), Amy Szalinski (Amy O'Neill), Russ Thompson (Thomas Wilson Brown) & Ron Thompson (Jared Rushton) whom, are accidentally shrunk to the size of bugs by Nick's father, Walter Szalinski (Rick Moranis)'s inventions. Being mistaken for trash, they must journey from the trash can on the curb of the street, through the backyard of Nick's house to reach their parents, so that they can bring them back to normal. Without spoiling the movie, too much, I know, a lot of critics back in the day, has criticize, this movie for being too violence and intense, but as a kid of the 1990s, I found this film to be, very entertaining. After all, I found films with children fighting for survival, realistic, and ballsy. This movie doesn't sugar-coated the action at all. I'm still mourning the death of the Ant from this film. The backyard of your house is indeed a jungle full of danger. I love all the little action set pieces, ranging from animal attacks like vicious-looking scorpion, loud-buzzing honey bee to man-made items like nearly drown by a Water Sprinkler, or getting nearly slice in half by a lawnmower. While, this movie was originally written to appeal to more child demographic called 'Teeny Weenies' by screenwriters, Stuart Gordon, Ed Naha, Tom Schulman & Brian Yuzna, the film tone was change, to appeal to a more mature audience, after kids films like 1984's 'Gremlins' & 1988's 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' became a big hit, due to its amazing visual effects. Due to this, Joe Johnston was brought in to replace the original director, due to his design and special effects background. In my opinion, this movie wouldn't had work, without him. The great set pieces and practical effects really made this movie, wonderful to see. Heavily influenced by 1957's 'The Incredible Shrinking Man'. The use of rear projection, forced perspective, split screen and model effects all help convey the children's dwindling size. It was all very remarkable at the time, even if some of the visuals look a bit dated now. Even the cartoon opening sequence was pretty cool. The title coming down on the cartoon characters with some simple 3D effects was impressive at the time. The music that went along with the film is outstanding. Inspired by the music work by composer, Raymond Scott, composer James Horner added some really needed speed to the original music, 'Powerhouse' to make a new genius and genuinely special brand of intensive. However, since Horner didn't pay royalties or providing attribution to the original song, Scott's estate threatened to sue Disney after the movie was released. After prolonged negotiation, they settled. While the on-screen credits were not changed, cue sheets for the movie do note the use of Scott's piece. Another fun fact about this film, is the fact that the animated short 1989's 'Tummy Trouble' was released theatrically with this movie. Many credit the success of this film towards audiences wanting to see more of Roger Rabbit. Although, for me, personally, I came to want to see this movie for Rick Moranis. I really hope, that he returns back to acting, one day. He's greatly missed. His acting in this film was amazing. He really capture that nerdy, misunderstood inventor father feel. Even the supporting actors that played the other parents, weren't that bad. Matt Frewler as Walter's redneck neighbor, Russ Thompson Sr. was lot of fun. Much of the humor of the film, comes with the relationship between Russ and Walter. I like watching two polar opposites trying to work together for a common ground. The child actors that played the children in the film, were alright for the most part, too. I kinda like, that each character had a part to play in the kids surviving their own ordeal. Still, there is one thing that particularly bugs me about the shrinking effects. The kids' sizes are portrayed inconsistently. They are sometimes bigger than ant, and other times, smaller than them. It's a bit jarring, to watch, as there seem to be no sense of scale. Another thing that got me puzzle is how the machine honestly works. Let's say, that it works by sucking empty space out of a given object, but leaving its mass unchanged, as the main character says. If you were to shrink, down, wouldn't you end up with weight that you have in normal size, similar to 2015's 'Ant Man'? So, how are they able to be sweep up, in the beginning of the film? Similarly, how are they able to breath or digest food? The air would be too thin. I know, the movie isn't supposed to be science accuracy, but it's somewhat noticeable, but I'm willing to look past that. This movie is indeed a bit nostalgia for me, so I might be a littles bias. However, I do see some of the film's faults, but it's nowhere near as bad as other critics make it out to be. The several follow-ups are much, much worst. 1992's 'Honey, I Blew up the Kid' was mediocre at best. 1994's 'Honey, I Shrunk the Audience' was a surprise hit 3D video ride when it opened at Walt Disney World's Epcot Park in 1994, running until 2010 there. However, it did get somewhat dated toward the late 1990s, with the kids actors outgrowing their kid couther parts. Last, but not least, 1997's live-action direct-to-video 'Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves' was very forgettable. Another thing, the whole running gag with Diane Szalinski (Marcia Strassman) fainting in each movie is a little harder to watch now, since the actress death in 2014. Despite that; overall: the first movie was pretty good, but it was a little short for great. Still, it's worth checking out if you got the time. So go see it!