The Incredible Shrink Man Essay

The Incredible Shrinking Man is a film detailing the events of what happened to man named Scott Carey, after he was sprinkled by some sort of mist. This mist immediately evaporates and Scott heads inside, believing it to be rain. Six months pass and Scott is sprayed by insecticide. He goest to the doctor for a routine examination and realizes that he’s become shorter. He goes to a laboratory to be examined by scientists and it is concluded that the mist and the insecticide caused his height change. They manage to stop him from shrinking, but it soon becomes apparent that the solution was only temporary. At six inches tall, Scott can no longer live in his home. He moves into the doll house, separating himself from his loved ones. His life in

Scott flees to the cellar to protect himself. His wife, thinking that he’s been eaten by the cat, closes the door to cellar, trapping him in the littered room. In his time in the cellar, Scott creates shelter for himself and a source of water. He encounters a new foe in the form of a spider. After fighting it off and eventually killing it, Scott realizes he doesn’t fear shrinking as he once did. He has grown accustomed to the environment surrounding him. He makes his way outside and assures himself of his continued existence. The Incredible Shrinking Man was delightful to watch. The reason for this is that the film uses certain filmmaking techniques quite effectively. The sound, the cinematography, and lighting are used to their upmost potential. This is no more apparent than in the last scene of the movie. In this scene Scott has finally killed the spider and is now making his way outside. A monologue begins that tells the viewers that Scott is a surviver, that

In my humble opinion it reigns supreme in 50’s sci-fi genre. The film has a theme that it sticks to: as he shrinks and becomes one with the environment around him, Scott gains some amount of spiritual enlightenment. The idea of transcendentalism is laid quite splendidly throughout the film, none more so than in the final scene. During his narration Scott tells the audience that he can no longer hate the slide that was tormenting him throughout his time in the cellar. Scott understands that the spider has as much of a right to live as he does. He is saying that existence is neither inherently good nor evil, it simply is. He looks up at the sky, completely bruised, battered and exhausted, yet he is no longer afraid. This part of the last scene is where the film earns its title as the best. Scott has been abused by fate and yet has the strength and determination to declare his continued existence. This ending is far cry from other 50s sci-fi films, where destruction is the resolution of the crises. The Incredible Shrinking Man decides to however, end on an uplifting note. It is truly