A Norwegian scientist has found a way to shrink humans to
approximately 12 inches in height, meaning they have a much smaller
environmental impact and incidentally can live a life of luxury on the cheap –
but it’s irreversible. Occupational therapist Matt Damon and his wife Kristen
Wiig are the couple trying to decide whether moving to a small community is an
opportunity worth taking.
There are plenty of movies about shrinking people –Fantastic
Voyage, InnerSpace, Honey I Shrunk The Kids, and of course the various
appearances of Ant-Man. In all of these movies the shrinking effect is
reversible and the tone tends to be a mixture of action and comedy.
Downsizing takes a different approach, the key to which is
the one-way procedure which gives miniaturization a whole new meaning. This is
highlighted by the shrinking process – no instantaneous shrink ray or Ant-Man
suit but a prolonged and demeaning medical procedure involving removal of hair
and teeth and injection with a special shrinking medicine before being anaesthetised
and locked naked in a giant microwave.
It’s a little hard to describe exactly what kind of movie
this is. It’s not an action movie or a thriller, and it’s not a comedy either, although
there’s the occasional comic moment. There's some romance, so at least we can be sure that size isn't everything, but it's not really a romantic comedy either. Perhaps it’s a little confused – too
many subplots with messages about environmental catastrophe, race, immigration,
poverty, social inequality and division.
However this is first and foremost a science fiction story
in the John W. Campbell sense – the downsizing is the only fantasy element, and
the movie takes this concept very seriously and explores the consequences, good
and bad, of this new technology and its impact on the world. The result is a
thoughtful movie about the challenge of taking an irreversible step into the
unknown, and how this affects relationships in which some decisions are
reversible.
While most of the supporting cast are poorly developed to
the point of stereotyping – flamboyant European party animal, immigrant cleaner
with heart of gold and so on, Matt Damon’s lead character is the exception –
he’s got enough of a backstory and personality to convince that he is not a
hero or villain but a likeable Philip Dick-style everyman character trying to
muddle through.
Downsizing is a B-movie, and it’s disappointing in places
but occasionally thoughtful or touching. It’s been mis-promoted as a comedy in
the trailers when it would be better described as a drama. I found enough
positives to merit the highly coveted Sci-Fi Gene three-star rating.
Score: 3 out of 5 stars
All movies reviewed on the Sci-Fi Gene blog are given a score of 3 out of 5 stars.
All movies reviewed on the Sci-Fi Gene blog are given a score of 3 out of 5 stars.
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