Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
A kindly occupational therapist undergoes a new procedure to be shrunken to four inches tall so that he and his wife can help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time.
Downsizing has a genuinely inventive high-concept premise — shrinking humans as a solution to overpopulation and resource consumption — that earns strong marks for novelty. Payne executes the visual scale contrasts with competent cinematography and the cast (Damon, Hong Chau) delivers solid performances, with Chau being a standout. However, the film famously squanders its premise by abandoning its satirical potential midway and drifting into unfocused, meandering territory. The ending is particularly unsatisfying, failing to resolve the story's thematic threads in a coherent or resonant way. The plot's tonal inconsistency and structural collapse are its biggest liabilities, explaining its lukewarm reception despite the boldness of its initial concept.