Anthony's Film Review - Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992)

This sequel is somewhat inferior to the original but exploration of a new premise makes it work...

Honey, I Blew Up the Kid is the first sequel to the 1989 film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. I can say one good thing about the movie. It doesn't commit the ultimate sin of bad sequels by presenting itself as a repeat of the original. It's obvious from the title that the plot does not involve shrinking human beings to miniature sizes. Rather, it's the reverse, making someone larger than normal. And the person involved is a different character: a toddler instead of a group of teens.

It has been three years since the events of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. At this time, the kids of the Szalinski family are older, including Nick who has become a teenager. There is also a new child in the family named Adam. Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) is still his usual self as an inventor who creates a lot of gizmos, including stuff for Adam's playpen. As for the shrinking machine from the previous movie, it still exists. But Wayne is trying to tweak it for a different purpose.

Then something happens. Adam is accidentally zapped with the laser from the shrinking machine. He doesn't change size immediately, so you think everything is fine. Well, another thing happens. While watching TV, the energy from the TV zaps Adam, and he is suddenly a bit larger than before. This happens over and over with various electrical appliances, all while Wayne, Nick, and a babysitter scramble to figure out what to do with Adam.

The climax of the movie takes place in Las Vegas. This is when Adam reaches a height of over 100 feet. There is chaos and panic on the ground, very much like the response to something like King Kong or Godzilla coming their way. But even as a giant, Adam is no monster. He is a curious child like any other, so he is unaware of the destruction he leaves behind. Soon, it actually becomes a heartfelt situation when an aerial attack is about to occur.

The premise of this movie is original enough and definitely not a bad one. At the same time, I liked the original movie about shrunken teens a little more than this one about a gigantic baby. It's not so much the way the story is written. Rather, it's the limitations of this particular plot idea. You can do a lot with tiny people who can't be seen, but there's only so much you can do with a giant person who can easily be spotted. But in the end, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid works well enough.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my reviews of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves.