Customer Reviews

4D Man

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What surprised me most about THE 4D MAN was the script. The characters are very well-defined, strong, logical, consistent and nicely developed, and the performers play the parts admirably. Above-average characterization is not usually something you'll find in a minor sci-fi thriller! Director Irvin S Yeaworth Jr is better known for THE BLOB, a movie that also boasts an above-average character in Steve Andrews (Steve McQueen). Perhaps not surprisingly, both films were co-written by Theodore Simonson (his only film credits). It's almost a shame Simonson didn't do more film work.

THE PLOT: Tony Nelson (James Congdon), the younger brother of research scientist Scott Nelson (Robert Lansing), is attempting to duplicate a lab accident in which he passed a pencil through a thick plate of steel. The brothers eventually team up but it transpires that the original accident was caused mainly by the influence of abnormally high brainwave activity. Scott's coincidental suffering of headaches induced by powerful brainwave impulses triggers another accident in which his hand passes through a solid plate of a newly-invented impenetrable metal. Soon Scott can pass through anything just by exercising his willpower, but the ability comes with a price. He grows older with each effort, and can only rejuvenate himself by stealing the life from others. Soon people are found dead of extreme old age...even if they were young. It's up to Tony and their mutual girlfriend Linda Davis (Lee Meriwether) to stop Scott who is slowly going mad.

The effects are decent for their time. I remember FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine had a contest (or maybe the studio sponsored it) challenging people to duplicate the abilities of the 4D MAN! The acting is good, as I mentioned, but Robert Lansing in the lead role is terrific, his performance is wonderful to watch. It's worth viewing the film just to see Lansing, he really is incredible.

For some reason (maybe seeing stills in FAMOUS MONSTERS) I always envisioned this movie was in black and white, but it is in color. The DVD's image quality is very good, perhaps a little grainy but probably normal for its age (the film was released in 1959). There are no extras on the disc; the main menu is the scene selection. The sound is fine, but that brings me to the most unfortunate aspect of the movie - the music. Completely inappropriate, the loud, brash jazzy music is remarkably distracting and thoroughly annoying. I couldn't help thinking how much better the movie would be with a score by someone like Bernard Herrmann or Dimitri Tiomkin instead of Ralph Carmichael!

Add this up: a believable story, outstanding acting from the lead, above-average characterization, okay special effects, better makeup effects and terribly inappropriate music. The sum is a high recommendation for THE 4D MAN.

I am so pleased to finally see this wonderful Sci-Fi film being released after so many years. Years ago it had been announced as a release on LaserDisc, but was subsequently cancelled. It was also available for sale on VHS briefly; later it was only available as a rental, but now...it's going to be on DVD! This is the story of a man's experiments in getting two solid objects to exist in the same space. As his experiments progress, he is changed by the process in ways he did not anticipate. His life and his relationship with his fiancee change dramatically. This film had some interesting special effects for its time, and Robert Lansing, as the scientist who conducts the experiments, does a marvelous job with the material. Lee Merriwether (Catwoman of the Batman TV series fame) also stars as the scientist's fiancee. This has been one of my favorite Sci-Fi films over the years (maybe because of its rare appearances on TV and video). Worth the purchase for Sci-Fi fans!

I have always enjoyed this film- I think I saw it for the first time when I was in 5th grade. With a little fine tuning and more money to work with, this film could have been truely great. The
basic plot concerning the ability to walk through objects and be indestructible strikes a chord with most viewers as a desireable
power, but when the bad/tragic side effects are revealed, one feels bad for the misguided scientist. The dvd edition is great for color/clarity, but I was disappointed that there was no extra material. I had hoped for years that there were outtakes or
deleted scenes that might make it into a special edition. I'm not
sure about the music on the soundtrack. Sometimes, depending on the mood you're in, it seems very original and strong. At other
times, very out of place. I agree with a few of the other reviews that a different composer might have added a whole new feeling to the film. The effects, for its' time are good. By present standards they are not. However, with a super 1st rate
performance from Robert Lansing, good character development and
clever "power of suggestion" scenes this is a very good low
budget film. Mr. Lansing is able to develop a character that you like, are afraid of and feel sorry for. This is something only the best actors can do- very hard to achieve. The supporting cast is fine, no problems there. I have thought MANY
times that if only the makers had added extra visuals such as SHOWING Scott Nelson robbing the bank, other attacks on hapless
victims and his point of view while in 4D, the film could have been a real classic. On the other hand, the implied action is not bad and rather disturbing. The best example of this is when
the 4D man apparently is intent on killing a young girl to acquire more life force when the scene changes to a new one. His
slow descent into madness is truely pitiful; you can see he is fighting it, but to no avail. Also, there is a good scene that shows he does not have full control of this new found power- a
foreboding of things to come. Lastly, I met Lee Meriwether who
told me that yes, Valley Forge Productions WAS planning to do a sequel, but that money had been a problem. This means that it is possible that perhaps a rudimentary script/screenplay may have been done. It would be VERY interesting to see how the storyline would have/ could have developed from there. If this film were done today with modern effects, it would be fantastic! Hopefully
someone out there is considering this. In summary, 4D MAN, while
somewhat dated and having a few lapses in logic, is a great sci fi film that makes this dvd well worth many viewings. I look forward to " Return of the 4D Man" and actually have ideas about some scenes that could be filmed.

4D Man is to me one cool flick. Just the scene where he is experimenting and gets part of his hand stuck in metal had me
freakin squirming! Add to that hot babes, a cool hipster outrageous jazz soundtrack and its done nicely in color, its just one of those semi unknown horror flicks that are cool to watch. Highly recommended.

I have to confess, I don't know why I like this film. It has a horrific soundtrack and some poor continuity, but it also has a certain amount of nostalgia associated with old sci-fi films of the 50s. Some cheesy set pieces mixed in with some good effects for the time. As if I'm supposed to believe this guy can enter the 4th dimension with something that looks like the guts of an old refrigerator, at best. Or, when Tony "willed" a pencil through a solid piece of metal? Not too sure about that. I do think this would work well on a Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode. Don't get me wrong, I do like this film. I'm a big fan of old science fiction films, but I don't take it all too seriously. If you like B Sci-Fi, then you'll love this film.

What I do like about the film are the actors Robert Lansing and Lee Merriwether. There was a good attempt at characterization development, but Tony does seem to be a bit of a dofus. Other special effects are well designed. The aging effects when Scott touches a victim are excellent for its time.

Finally, the DVD version is far and above an improvement to the old VHS version I had from years ago. It gets a nice polishing. I couldn't believe how colorful the film was after so many years of blurred tape I had been watching.

So what is this concept of the fourth dimension? Well, I'm no brainiac, but in terms I can understand it takes what we already have in our three dimensional spatiality (length, width, and height), and throws in a fourth, that being time. Specifically, one who travels in the fourth dimension may not only be able to traverse the boundaries of time, but also would be able to occupy the same space, at the same time mind you, as an object we third dimension dwellers view as being solid...directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. (The Blob, Dinosaurus!), 4D Man (1959) stars Robert Lansing (Empire of the Ants, Under the Yum Yum Tree), Lee Meriwether (Batman, "All My Children"), and James Congdon (When Worlds Collide, Seeds of Evil). Also appearing is Robert Strauss (Stalag 17, The Man with the Golden Arm), Edgar Stehli (Atlantis, the Lost Continent), and a very young Patty Duke prior to her dual role as identical cousins on "The Patty Duke Show", which aired in the early 1960s.

As the movie begins we see a lone scientist named Tony Nelson (Congdon) working in a laboratory late at night. Seems he's obsessed with proving the notion that two solid objects can occupy the same space by amplifying their atomic fields, or some such thing. Anyway, the only thing he succeeds in doing is causing a fire, destroying the building, and getting himself canned. Tony hits the road, stopping to see his brother Dr. Scott Nelson (Lansing), the more pragmatic of the pair, who happens to be working on developing a new type of impregnable metal called Cargonite. Tony ends up sticking around, taking a position at his brother's facility, if only to try and advance his theories, but ends up falling for Scott's assistant (and sort of girlfriend) Linda (Meriwether), who seems to have a similar affection for Tony. Turns out Scott's experiments in creating a new super metal are a success, but have some strange side effects (due to exposure of some sort) of his brain working in overdrive, allowing Scott, through the use of his mind alone, to venture into the fourth dimension. Only problem is it takes a great deal of energy to dink around in the fourth dimension, so subsequently anytime Scott uses his newfound abilities, he ages rapidly. Luckily, there's a way around that as he discovers by sharing the same space with another, living creature, he can draw from their life force...the only downside is the person he draws from ends up aging to the point of death. Scott's mind becomes seriously affected (i.e. he loses his marbles) by his new abilities (that, along with the fact his would be girlfriend has eyes for his brother), and soon he turns into a real monster, which presents quite the pickle...how do you stop someone who can become intangible, walking through walls and such like they weren't even there?

One thing that kind of surprised me about this film was how much was actually going on within the story. There's a whole lot of character development, along with a whole slew of subplots including tension between Tony and Scott (one's flighty, while the other is more practical), the romantic triangle between Scott, Linda, and Tony, Scott's chaffing against his credit hogging boss, a fellow weasel of a scientist scheming to steal Tony's ideas, etc. The result is things tend to get a bit messy as the story goes on, but messy in a good way, as these aspects tend to add a sense of realism and relation to an otherwise fantastic, science fiction premise. At times it's almost soap opera-ish, but the focus always remains solidly on the main sci-fi driven plot. I thought all the actors did quite well, although whenever I see Robert Lansing in anything, he always sort of creeps me out. Maybe it was that unnaturally reserved quality he seemed to emanate, or perhaps his pronounced, almost alien facial features...I don't know. One scene I found unsettling was when he sought medical help shortly after experimenting with his new powers, having discovered the after effects in terms of rapid aging. While pleading for help, he accidentally takes a life (unwittingly drawing forth the man's energies), and reacts horrified when he realizes what has happened. This particular moment was odd and unsettling to me, not so much the death of the man, but Lansing's very unreserved reaction, compared to his up until now restrained demeanor. And then later on, once his character starts losing his mental grip, he becomes unstable, materialistic, and extremely self-centered. I thought Meriwether did very well, and was glad to see her role as a laboratory assistant seemed to involve more than just getting coffee for her male counterparts and being just a pretty face. Her character was actually immersed in the scientific process even though her presence was obviously counterproductive to progress as it seemed most of the males were unable to deny irresistible, hotchie mama charms (I can't say that I blame them...did you see her in that Catwoman outfit in the old Batman movie? Zowie!). I thought it odd, though, that her character had to moonlight as a babysitter...perhaps it had something to do with inequalities in the pay structures in terms of women getting less compared to their male counterparts. James Congdon's character came on strong at the beginning, but then it seemed he was relegated to more of a plot device role rather than a integral part of the story as the film progressed. This was a pretty minor element, as I thought the story was written well and extremely thought out. Oh yes, the science is strong in this one, aided by some really good special effects. They may look quaint and even hokey given the achievements over the years, but I bet back in 1959, when the film was released, they were pretty outstanding. Some have mentioned the inappropriate musical scoring of the film, and I can understand their misgivings, as jazzy bebop isn't something one would normally associate with classical science fiction, but I kinda liked it...maybe not in terms of properly enhancing the story, but in terms of a lively score I could listen to on its own, it wasn't too bad.

The picture quality on this DVD, presented in fullscreen (1.33:1) aspect ratio, looks relatively sharp, exhibiting a few minor, expected flaws, and the Dolby Digital 2.0 mono audio comes through clean. There are no special features included, but I didn't mind so much as given the presentation of the film.

Cookieman108

If I learned anything from this film it's that scientists lead interesting and often sordid lives, and that Robert Lansing liked to smoke a whole lot...

3.5 stars -
Far superior to most other Sci-Fi of it time. This low budget color film has many of the makings of what could have been classic B Sci-Fi movie.
Yes there is some questionable acting and many predictable elements in the story. and 4D is unintentionally campy at times but the camp revolves more around the love triangle and buisness relationships of the characters rather then the Sci-Fi. The 4D effects, by todays standards, are rather obvious but not bad for the time and always fun. But the reality is that the D4 effects are rather few and far between. Most of the effects are implied - Actually very clever of the film makers to make you blieve you have scene a special effect where none happened. For example - often the 4D Man is already in a room rather then actually seen entering it and his 4D ability is telegraphed by music rather then anything actaully happening. But all in all the story is good. The presentation is compelling and colorful. There is a very cool Jazz soundtrack and a good opening credits montage. But the best thing about the film is Robert Lancing. If Lancing's performance here is any indication - Lancing might now be considered one of the better actors of his time had he starred in A-films. In 4D man Lancing overcomes every banal line, every amature actor and every low budget road block to deliver a strong, cool and believeble performance. The film moves very fast to a good twist ending. A side note - had the film makers had 4DMan's girl actually really adore him as she is forced to do what she does at the end - 4D might have been a minor B classic. I love Image for presenting good prints of films like this. This is probably the best print we are going to get - That said the film deserves a better DVD presentation and would have been helped immensally by crisper, cleaner and more colorful picture quality and sweetened sound track. I recommend this film (especially for the price)to those who enjoy films like X The Man With XRAY Eyes, The Incredible Shrinking Man and The Fly. That said I feel 4D Man is still a notche below the fore-mentioned films. But I still might have given the film 4 stars had it a better DVD presentation.

I'd never even heard of The 4D Man until I happened across a reference to it in a sci-fantasy novel I was reading. Intrigued, I did a little on-line snooping and soon began to think that I'd really like to see this picture, just once. Unfortunately, it's one of those flicks that apparently doesn't come up in the TV scheduling rotation at all, at least not in my part of the country. I can't tell you why, especially since far more crappier fare does seem to dominate the cable and network television scene these days. Anyway, when I saw that The 4D Man was in print and available on Amazon.com -- and reasonably priced at that -- I took a gamble and purchased it.

As a simple DVD with no extras, I was nevertheless pleased by the color and quality of the print. No complaints technically, especially as it's a 1959 film, and surely on nobody's "Top Ten Films to Preserve" list. I really liked the premise of the story, and found the fateful circumstances that result in Scott Nelson (Robert Lansing) gaining his strange powers to be reasonably within the realm of my suspended disbelief (given the era of the film's production). However, overall I found the acting to be a bit pedestrian (especially James Congdon's performance as Tony, the brother), and the storyline itself uneven. Scott isn't given enough time to really flesh out his space-shifting predicament, and seems to turn malevolent too quickly too easily. Although initially driven to reckless scientific experimentation by his jealousy -- after realizing that his gal (Lee Meriwether) seems to dig Tony more than him -- his motive suddenly switches to his dissatisfaction with being subordinate to his greedy boss, even as the foundation for that aspect was not really promoted early on. And while I enjoyed the playful scene where he toys with his newfound intangibility on a city street, the later scene in the car with the unsuspecting hooker -- which should have been tragic -- came off as almost funny due to the shoddy accelerated-aging FX.

Don't let me drive you off, though. Despite the negatives in my critique, I DID like this film. Other reviewers here have noted that it had the potential to be a better one; this is true, and it wouldn't have taken much. As it stands, it's entertaining if undemanding, and worth at least one viewing. And probably several!

The 4D Man

B-grade Science Fiction film with several names that are very familiar: Robert Lansing and Lee Meriwether (both would end up on Star Trek, and several character roles in sixties television) and Patty Duke (the Patty Duke Show, amongst others). The horns and jazz arrangement at the movie intro was performed by Ralph Carmichael, a big man at Capitol Records, arranged music for Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, well known in Christian music circles and also did the score for The Blob.

Director Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr. also no stranger to 50s' sci-fi horror films: The Blob, and Dinosaurus amongst others.

Quite a team. What kind of movie did they slap together?

A scientist works in secret to uncover the secrets of moving objects through solid steel. He turns the juice up too high and ends up burning the lab down! (horns). "Is this your great contribution to science, Nelson?"

Well, he's fired. Hitchhikes to Fairview Research Center. We're introduced to Roy, the jealous type who should be put up on charges of sexual harassment, and Linda, played by Lee (Miss America of 1955) Meriwether. Hubba.... The plot thickens.

As the story goes, Scott keeps checking a block of rock being irradiated for some purpose that is not totally explained, and insists on checking it "in case the monitors missed something".

Meantime his brother wants to leave as he is getting feelings for Scott's fiancé' (Can't say I blame him)....

The film has lots of these musical interludes that really takes away from the story and plot to a point of becoming annoying. I don't recall other movies made like this, with big band jazz music accompaniment. Perhaps I should catch The Blob.

Love triangle continues at the same time... Oh brother....

Scott visits the doctor where we learn that something is boosting his 'brain waves." Oh boy.

Linda says no to Scott's proposal. Ouch!

Scott, full of jealousy and still getting those high brain wave headaches, breaks into Tony's locker full of equipment, which he then proceeds to set up and experiment with, in what seems mere minutes.

In the experiment, something happens to Scott. His hand goes through the block of metal! And it hurts, too! Music ensues.

He finally gets freed of this, but not before Roy steals the notes and passes them along to the boss, in the hopes he may move up on the company and with that, hopefully, the heart of Linda. You keep thinking that, Roy. Yeah, sure.

Meanwhile, Scott and Tony go into a huddle and find out that Scott can put his hand through metal with no pain, using the force field generated by the machine. Darn, where are those notes? Except, the amplifier wasn't working!

Roy continues to ply Carson with plans for his own lab to work on this project further (with the stolen notes, of course). Scott meantime is getting more erratic, jumpy. Things don't look well for Scott.

As the movie progresses, Scott can pull objects through walls and mailboxes and so on and is getting giddy with power. This is quite a change from the character's earlier development, a bit too unrealistically I think.

Scott find that he ages rapidly as he continues to gain the power to move through things. He can move through people and then regain his energy and life. Unfortunately, that kills the person he moves through. Bummer after-effect. He accidentally kills his doctor that way.

Later, his brother figures out that he is absorbing 10 years of energy a minute. Now you tell me! For some reason, Scott keeps quiet that he had anything to do with the doctor dying, nor about the $50,000 missing from the local bank! Things look bleak.

Scott starts purposely sucking the energy of people he does not like for his own recharging benefit. The horror part surprises the viewer when Scott enters Linda's bedroom as she sleeps.

What's he gonna do, suck the life out of her bones or what???

The film has its drama, its comedy, love triangle and lots & lots of band music. Who could ask for anything more as you sat in your 57 Chevy with your date at the local drive-in?

Recommended.

I remember Robert Lansing as General Frank Savage on the first season of "Twelve O'Clock High" and who is probably best remembered in the realm of science fiction for being Gary Seven on an episode of the original "Star Trek." His performance in "4D Man" is what saves this 1959 Universal International release from being quite laughable. The idea for the story came from producer Jack H. Harris, who had made his mark the year before with "The Blob." The story is one of those where for every interesting idea they come up with at least one stupid way of trying to make it work. Let me explain.

Tony Nelson (James Congdon) is trying to take a wooden dowel and put it through a piece of metal. He has a device that he believes will help him do this, but his attempt fails so miserably that he burns down the entire laboratory along with all of his notes. So he decides to go visit his brother, Dr. Scott Nelson (Lansing), who is working on an impenetrable metal. He succeeds only to see the magnate who runs the company (Edgar Stehli) claim credit and names the metal "cargonite" after himself. Scott thinks he has his lovely assistant Linda Davis (Lee Meriwether) to comfort him, but that is before she sees Tony. It seems that the brothers had a falling out over the last time Tony took a woman away from Scott, but things will be much worse this time, especially since Scott keeps getting bad headaches (never a good sign).

Tony scoffs at the idea of Scott's indestructible and impenetrable metal alloy and show's his brother a pencil stuck in a slab of metal. Tony explains that not only did this happen four years earlier by accident, but that he basically used the power of his mind rather than his neat device to do this. He warns that they do not know what the side effects of all this could be, but of course in due time Scott will try the experiment himself and this is where the movie gets more interesting, even if it never does get really good. After a pretty decent scene in which Scott discovers his brother was telling the truth, the movie makes the great leap forward when Scott no longer needs the machine to be able to put his hand through walls and other interesting things.

Lansing does a good job of exploring what Scott can do with his new powers. Since Scott can take an envelop out of a mail box and an apple out of grocery store, what is to stop him from picking up a nice piece of jewelry for Linda or in making a midnight withdrawal from the local bank? The irony of "4D Man" is that Scott gets the power to become intangible just as his life is falling apart. Lansing's performance and the film's simple but effective special effects by Bart Sloane make the second half of the film work. Scott discovers that this new power has accelerated his aging process and that passing his hands through another human being is not as benign as walking through a wall.

The other aspect of this move that stands out is the score by Ralph Carmichael, mainly because the jazzy music sounds like it should be in a fifties movie about juvenile delinquents more than a science fiction film. But you get used to it when it keeps popping up at key moments in the film. While the science is silly, the scientists are not and even if the love triangle here is stereotypical (and the decision by Linda to drop Scott for Tony is motivated by nothing more than having been written that way in the script), you have no trouble believing that Scott is less than happy with his sibling and the woman they both love.

Again, if not for Lansing this would be a cheesy but colorful little fifties science fiction film. Meriwether looks good, as a former Miss America should, but besides Lansing the best performance in the film is turned in my a young Patty Duke, which should surprised neither those who saw her in "The Miracle Worker" (done three years later) nor those weaned on 1950s science fiction films. "4D Man" was released in the U.K. as "The Evil Force" and was reissued in the U.S. in 1965 as "Master of Terror," both of which make the original title look good.