4d Man

Dr. Tony Nelson (James Congdon) is working on a device that will enhance the brains ability to move things into the fourth dimension. Turns out due to some fluke of nature that his brother Dr. Scott Nelson (Robert Lansing) does not need enhancing. What does absolute power do? You guessed it.

Now let's see Roy Parker (Robert Strauss) wants Scott's position; does he get it? Dr. Theodore W. Carson (Edgar Stehli) wants Scott's invention; does he get it? Scott's fiancé wants Scott's brother; does she get him. Scott wants money from the local bank; does he get it?

Oh, come on now. Some one ought to get something in the end.

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.

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.