‘He walks through walls of solid steel and stone!’
4D Man is a 1959 American sci-fi film about a scientist who discovers a formula enabling him to pass through solid surfaces. However, he also rapidly ages, which forces him to kill humans to reverse the ageing process by absorbing his victims’ energies.
Directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. (Dinosaurus!; The Blob, 1958) from a screenplay by Theodore Simonson and Cy Chermak. The movie was produced by Jack H. Harris (The Blob franchise; Schlock; Equinox). Also known as The Evil Force (UK) and Master of Terror (US reissue).
The Fairview production stars Robert Lansing, Lee Meriwether (Catwoman in the ’60s Batman TV series) and James Congdon. The fun jazzy score was composed by Ralph Carmichael (The Blob) whose later career became bogged down with Christian-themed tunes.
Plot:
Brilliant but irresponsible scientist Tony Nelson (James Congdon) develops an electronic amplifier that he hopes will allow any object to achieve a 4th dimensional (4D) state. While in this state any object can pass freely through any other object.
Tony, however, fails to pay attention to the overload, which sparks an electrical fire that burns down his lab. This results in the university terminating his contract. Now unemployed, Tony seeks out his brother Scott (Robert Lansing) to help him with his experiment…
Reviews:
“Yeaworth’s direction is unsteady; some of the blocking results in odd eyelines, (Meriwether somehow ends up looking cross-eyed in her first glamour close-up!) and there are as many static scenes as there are dynamic ones. But the non-Hollywood effort is refreshing in its lack of slickness.”DVD Savant
“It’s especially good in developing the characters; you’d expect bold, daring Tony to end up as the man who can walk through walls, but instead, it’s dull ol’ Scott. And yet the script carefully prepares us for this as well. The special effects of Lansing passing through walls, chairs, even people, are bold and imaginative, but always give themselves away with a visible matte line.” Audio Video Revolution
“The character of Scott Nelson (excellently played by Robert Lansing) is so well established and the circumstances of his situation so well set forth that you understand fully why he takes to crime once he develops his abilities; these decisions don’t seem arbitrary or convenient.” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
“First, there’s the acting, which exhibits that same mix of wildly excessive over- and underacting that characterized the original Star Trek series, though admittedly not to such jaw-dropping degrees. Second, and perhaps more importantly, 4D Man is saddled with what must surely be the most utterly inappropriate background music in the history of cinematic science fiction. Every single scene unfolds to the distracting accompaniment of cacophonous beatnik jazz.” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting
” …the effects work in particular is very good. The film has an original and interesting idea, even if it is given a series of absurd explanations with nonsense about time being speeded up somehow allowing objects to pass through one another. Irvin S. Yeaworth gives it a scary, suspenseful edge.” Moria
“The disparity between the vitality of the younger characters and Scott’s corruption of that same thing proves surprisingly effective for what was a B-movie, but as with The Blob it was the pleasing simplicity of the central notion which made this interesting. Unexpectedly loud jazz score by Ralph Carmichael.” The Spinning Image
“This is a plausible bit of scientific hocus, and the compact story has enough to please the majority.” Kine Weekly“Rather too much of an emphasis on a hackneyed romance tends to hold up the proceedings but the film moves briskly enough, the idea is well used and the special effects effective.” Alan Franks, The Science Fiction and Fantasy Handbook, Batsford, 1982
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