Real Monsters box set

(View From The Couch is a weekly column that reviews what's new on Blu-ray and DVD.)

• Fantastic Voyage (Photo: Fox)

FANTASTIC VOYAGE (1966). With such titles as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Planet of the Apes, the 1960s proved to be a particularly rich decade for science fiction cinema, and Fantastic Voyage stands as one of the period's most imaginative efforts. An Eastern Bloc scientist who's critically shot as he defects to the West now lies in a coma, unable to pass along his vast knowledge to his U.S. handlers. The only way to revive him is by removing a blood clot in his brain, one that cannot be accessed by normal surgery. Luckily for those involved, a way has been discovered to shrink people and objects down to microscopic size, meaning that a submarine carrying five passengers — three scientists (Raquel Welch, Donald Pleasence, Arthur Kennedy), the sub captain (William Redfield) and a CIA agent (Stephen Boyd) — is injected into the scientist's blood stream, with the crew tasked to destroy the blood clot. Even within the boundaries of the story, the science is dubious (to put it mildly), but most viewers will be having too much fun to give it much thought. Watching the crew contend with making its way through various parts of the body — it gets pretty windy in the lungs, and stay clear of the heart! — is engaging enough, but those aboard also have to deal with a traitor in their midst. Nominated for five Academy Awards (all in technical categories), this won for Best Visual Effects and Best Color Art Direction-Set Decoration.

Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by film and music historian Jeff Bond; a look at the film's visual effects; and a storyboard-to-scene comparison.