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Summary: Lucky Anti-Bodies get the ultimate body
Review: Raquel Welch unfortunately stays dressed for the most part of this well crafted sojourn into inner space. Shrunk down to microscopic size, a scientific crew aboard a mini-sub must navigate the body of a famous scientist to remove a blood clot. Wild effects for the time see the red and white blood cells whipping past, brain activity, wind produced by breathing in the lungs, and good old Donald Pleasance munched on by soldier cells. A sci-fi classic.
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Summary: good sci-fi!
Review: still entertaining good summer type adventure with fine special effects and plot. lots of intrigue and suspense and all the elements that make up the kind of film that young folks like.
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Summary: 60's Sci Fi at its best
Review: Sure, the science is implausible. But this film employs enough plot devises and not-half-bad special effects to make it a real party flick. The two real treats in the film: (1)An aging but always fascinating to watch Peter Lorre, chain-smoking his way through some pretty dumb lines, and (2) Barbara Eden in a skin-tight naval "uniform," as the admiral's personal assistant, jiggling about the submarine, and even going topside, in 6-inch spike high heels. What fun!
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Summary: Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Review: Technically I can't really improve on what was said by others thus far about Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. I'd buy Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea for just one nagging reason. The final fight scene the no expenses spared fight scene happens in the reactor room. Now true to cold war TV the reactor room of our fictional sub bore no true resemblence to a true nuclear powered submarine's reactor room, maybe considering the time for many good reasons. BUT Allen in his unique often use manner has no sense of space,... "Ever notice how much room they had on the Jupiter 2, <LOST IN SPACE> for such a small ship. Erwin Allen Sci-Fi must all be based on the presumption that every ship he creates is in secret a TARDIS (Time And Relative Demension In Space like in Doctor Who. In Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea Allen at the end of the movie during this fight scene does his best cram a huge thing in a small space trick. The final scene occurs on a bridge like structure over something called a Bulk Shileding Reactor. A Bulk Shielding Reactor is this totally huge Olympic swimming sized monster reactor used for special types of research that could never ever fit in a sub and even if it did it produces so LOW a power it would be useless.Its fun to ask yourself as you watch the final fight scene as your popcorn dwindles down to those last hard kernels, How did they get that huge low power heavy Bulk Shielding Reactor into an atomic sub the size of the Seaview. Then say to yourself with a chuckle can you say Seaveiw = TARDIS boys and girls. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is just plain fun its silly thats what makes it worth its money. Buy it and get in on the joke. WOLF
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Summary: Shlock SF, but good.
Review: The screenplay for VTTBS was redone in the TV series, and a little better IMHO, and Issac Asimov was a little upset that the screen writers didn't follow the story he wrote for the book more closely. Still, no SF DVD set is complete without these two classics from the '60s.
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Summary: Double Subs Please!
Review: This double feature works both ends of the Sci-fi spectrum, from the overly simplified but eyecatching special effects of Irwin Allen's "Voyage" to the more sophisticated storytelling of "Fantastic". Two of my all-time favorite classics on the same DVD and both in widescreen format, can't ask for much more than that!
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Summary: Two Different Voyages
Review: This DVD contains two science fiction adventures from the 60"s. One is a true classic, and the other is perhaps more significant for the TV series it spawned. Fantastic Voyage (1966) (4 Stars)
Fantastic Voyage is well-done science fiction of high caliber. Even today, over thirty years later, the Academy Award winning special effects stand up reasonably well. Couple this, with an original story, and a tight screenplay, and you have the elements in place for a top-notch adventure. The cast is also excellent, headed by the underrated Steven Boyd, and also featuring the distinguished Donald Pleasance, Arthur Kennedy, Raquel Welch, Edmond O'Brien and Arthur O'Connor. Like many adventures of the time, this one has a Cold War connection. Benes, a scientist has been injured in an attempt on his life by the other side. With a blood clot located in an inoperable part of his brain, Benes is doomed, unless extreme measures are taken. Enter the Combined Military Deterrent Forces (CMDF), a top-secret government agency. The mission involves the miniaturization of a small nuclear powered sub (the Proteus), that will then be injected into the Benes's body. The team of five, will then proceed to the site of the clot, and dissolve it, using a laser gun. The miniaturization process lasts only for an hour, after which the sub and crew will begin to return to normal size. Sounds completely impossible? Maybe so, but the presentation is most compelling. After witnessing the miniaturization, and entry of the Proteus, via injection into the victim's neck, most viewers are right there with the crew, engrossed in the marvels of the human body. A chain of events, both accidental and deliberate, makes the journey to the brain, a most exciting and circuitous one. The "detours" provide opportunities to view various systems and organs within the body, which include the lungs, heart, ear and lymphatic system. The time factor goes from comfortable, to critical, as the crew, which initially had ample time to accomplish their mission, find themselves up against the one-hour deadline, after experiencing various delays. The sets and special effects, are still impressive even after all this time, partly because there have not been many films in the subsequent years, covering similar subject matter. Among the most interesting of the phenomena shown, are the oxygenation of blood cells, antibodies attacking, and the interior of the lungs. With their time almost up, the Proteus finally reaches the clot. The crew accomplishes their mission, and manages to escape from the body just in time, via the optic nerve, and out through the eye. Fantastic Voyage is a classic, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. With "remake fever" being prevalent, and with modern special effects available, one would think that it would have been at least a candidate for "updating". Should it ever come to pass, let us hope that the filmmakers are able to capture even half of the wonder of this fine film. Later, Isaac Asimov would novelize the movie, and a cartoon based on the film was also produced. Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1960) (2 Stars) On to the second feature, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Many may be more familiar with the TV series of the same name, which producer Irwin Allen later brought to the small screen. The movie introduces the nuclear submarine "Seaview", the brainchild of Admiral Nelson (Walter Pidegon), commanded by Captain Crane (Robert Sterling). The first nuclear subs were a "big deal" because of their ability to remain underwater for extended periods of time. Difficult to detect, they could be very effective at various types of covert operations. A crucial piece, in the global Cold War chess game. The Seaview, with its flared nose, headlight, body fins and observation windows, was one neat looking craft. In the 60's, many toys and models were based on this famous sub. As would later develop in the TV series, the Seaview became almost like another character. Unfortunately, the big screen version of "Voyage", is just not very good. The plot is silly, and the "science" is mostly fiction. The characters are not compelling at all, and no matter what gimmick is attempted, there is little or no real suspense. The newly commissioned Seaview, is cruising underwater in arctic waters, when the sub encounters falling ice. Upon surfacing, the crew discovers that the sky is glowing red. The cause, the Van Allen belt is on "fire", causing the Earth's temperature to rise, and melting the polar ice cap. From this ridiculous premise, things only get worse. Admiral Nelson heads to New York, for a meeting at the United Nations. He presents a plan to put out the fire, by firing missiles into the Van Allen belt, from a location in the South Pacific. Unable to convince the world's leaders he is right, he orders the Seaview to set off for the Marianas. Radio communication no longer functions, and Nelson can't contact Washington for approval of his scheme. With a long journey ahead, the sub proceeds at full speed, as internal conflict and unrest fester within his crew. Irwin Allen pulls out all the stops, in an attempt to create tension and excitement. These include arson, an underwater mine field, sabotage, a giant squid, threat of mutiny, shark attack, forcible removal from command, torpedo attack, a giant octopus, implosion due to extreme depth, and religious fanaticism. All that commotion, and the story is still flat, with an ending that is pitifully weak. The screenplay is bad, and relying on special effects is not enough. The concept and the presentation of the Seaview is strong, but the others effects are not impressive at all. The cast muddles through, and no one really impresses. Walter Pidgeon makes a weak Admiral, inspiring his men to mutiny. Robert Sterling, as Captain Crane, is not much better. Could you imagine the TV series starring these same actors? Peter Lorre is also in the film, but has almost nothing to do. Barbara Eden and Joan Fontaine seem to be on board just to keep it from being an all-male cast. Except for providing the source material for the TV series, the movie has very little to recommend it. If you buy this DVD, get it for mainly for Fantastic Voyage and not the disappointing Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
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Summary: FANTASTIC VOYAGE
Review: This is my favourite movie, so do not expect me to write an unbiassed review: Ernest Laszlo's CinemaScope cinematography is simply breathtaking; each single take is beautifully composed. Leonard Rosenman's atonal yet harmonic score featuring countless variations of the four-note leitmotiv (the "Proteus"-theme) is definitely one of the best film scores ever written and - moreover - an excellent example of modern orchestra music (I listen to it least once a day). The DVD picture transfer is gorgeous and a vast improvement over that fuzzy (though letterboxed)laserdisc. The anamorphically encoded picture makes full use of any widescreen TV set. The "newly created surround track" is nice, with beautiful separations especially during the airfield scene. And yet the DVD contains at least two major flaws having to be mentioned: 1. The title card is incorrect; the filmmakers' reference to the "many doctors and scientists whose knowledge and insight helped guide this production" has to appear at the end of the movie. The correct title card following the Fox logo reads: "This film will take you where no man has gone before. No eyewitness has actually seen what you are about to see. But in this world of ours where going to the moon will soon be upon us and where the most incredible things are happening all around us, someday, perhaps tomorrow, the fantastic events you are about to see can and will take place." 2. Watch the scene from 85:49 to 86:26 with the sub travelling through the subarachnoid cavity. The background is red and in the middle of that dramatic scene the color turns blue (or green). This flaw is apparent in some of the movies prints obviously due to careless treatment during the printig process; the entire scene is meant to be tinted blue (or green). The laserdisc, though technically far inferior, presented correct title card and green tinted scene; I wonder why Fox used a different print for the DVD release.
Rating: 
Summary: 1 + 5 / 2 = 3
Review: This might seem like one of those annoying marketing gimmicks, which is to bundle one bad product with one good one -- except that it's fairly priced and even better, available for rent. Fantastic Voyage rates a solid 5 stars for its imagination and spectacle, and also for a story that I found absolutely riveting after a couple hits. My only slam is that you could occasionally see the wires in plain view in some of the miniature shots -- but hey, this was the Sixties! On the flip-side (literally), Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea was so intellectually insulting that even my kids wouldn't watch it after the first few minutes. So, since this was an double feature, the average is 3 stars. This is similar to the 5-star The Fly and the 2-star The Fly II. But hey, who would actually watch The Fly II or Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea unless they were bundled?
Rating: 
Summary: A bit Campy, But watchable.
Review: This movie by Irwim Allan, about a nuclear submarine trying to save the Earth from the deadly effects of a heart storm, is watchable, although some of the special effects are now quite chessy, but the film is boosted by some good acting by a cast of performers led by Walter Piegion and Peter Lorrie. Led to a very camppy television series.
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