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For proof, check out the 1987 Steven Spielberg-produced comedy Innerspace, which is finally making its DVD debut courtesy of Warner Home Video. In the film, Short plays grocery clerk Jack Putter, a ball of hypochondriacal twitches and rubbery affectations. Across town, burned-out Navy pilot Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid) is about to embark on a dangerous mission, wherein he will be placed inside a mechanical pod, shrunk to the size of a pinhead and injected into a rabbit. Natch, there is a group of Central Casting-quality bad guys who want the secret to this incredible shrinking formula. So, with Pendleton stuck inside a syringe, the chase is on. Eventually, the microscopic-sized body of Pendleton is accidentally injected into Putter's rear quarters. Thus begins a frantic race to get Pendleton out of Putter's body before his oxygen runs out. Tuck's safe return is engineered by his girlfriend, played by Meg Ryan.

Innerspace is remembered as a light and silly enterprise, the kind of second-tier comedy mentioned when a basic cable network does an 80's retrospective. However, looking at it again after many years, the film is actually pretty good. Yes, it's light and silly, but, as written by the late Jeffrey Boam (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), it's also clever. Short, whose only real film credit to that point was Three Amigos, is perfectly cast as the hyperventilating Jack. Quaid was only 32 years old when he shot Innerspace, but he effectively conveys the world-weary heroism that makes Tuck tick. Director Joe Dante, whose credits include other light, silly and vaguely memorable films like Gremlins and The 'Burbs, is much better here, mixing adventure and laughs. Innerspace is the kind of film that doesn't try too hard. It coasts on good-natured chuckles, low-key charm and Oscar winning effects that hold up to this day.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

I was pleasantly surprised by the video quality of the Innerspace DVD. Warner made their transfer from a very clean print, surprising when you consider the film is neither beloved nor overwhelmingly memorable. The film is presented anamorphically in 1.85:1, enhanced for widescreen televisions. The picture is sharp and fairly detailed. There's no scratches or blemishes, which I found amazing. The daytime exteriors are extremely clean and even with no grain. The interiors of Tuck's pod, however, do evidence some grain and average shadow delineation. Black levels are pretty good. Fades to black are not perfect, but are surprisingly good. Fleshtones are a bit on the smooth, pasty side, but they are consistent. Contrast is good. In all, I didn't expect a transfer so clean and bright.

Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

Warner has remastered the original soundtrack here into Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Surround Stereo. Of the two, the 5.1 track fairs the best, sounding fuller and more consistent. But however you listen to it, considering the age of the film and the amount of dialogue, Warner has done a very good job. The overall soundstage is surprisingly full, especially for a 15-year-old comedy. The Surrounds are creative: the blubbering of various bodily fluids and the some fun sound effects enhance the overall feel of the movie. There is also some decent imaging as Tuck's pod flows through Jack's body and the scientists activate their crazy equipment. Dialogue is always easy to understand, however it is a bit thin. Jerry Goldsmith's score is all brass and violins, which only adds to the sense of sonic thinness. Sound tends to stay in the upper registers, as bass is not given that much of a workout. In all, a nice, if unspectacular effort.

The film is also dubbed into French mono and Japanese Dolby Surround Stereo.

The disc also includes French mono and Japanese 2.0 Dolby surround tracks, English Closed Captions and tons of subtitle options in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Korean and Bahasa, which is the official language of Indonesia.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The big supplement is a scene-specific audio commentary by director Joe Dante, producer Michael Finnell, costars Kevin McCarthy and Robert Picardo and Visual Effects Supervisor Dennis Murren. Considering the amount of people involved, it's never hard to discern who is talking. Picardo doesn't participate until later in the film, which helps; Dante and Finnell are very engaging speakers who sound delighted to be recording the commentary. Their comments are rarely more than mildly interesting, but they're said with such joy (you can almost see them smiling as they reminisce) that the track is fun to listen to. Dante claims that the film was meant as a Jerry Lewis/Dean Martin comedy, in which Martin is injected into Lewis. Also, neither Quaid, Short or Ryan were anyone's first choice for their roles. Dante tells of how Short, ever the improv comic, would beg for another take by getting on his knees and talking like Katherine Hepburn.

Except for the light, fun commentary, it's business as usual on this DVD. Besides cast and crew credits, there's a 90 second theatrical trailer. Video looks a tad worn, but otherwise, fine.

DVD-ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your PC?

No ROM extras have been included.

Parting Thoughts