The first full look for the upcoming sci-fi comedy, Downsizing has finally been released online. Written and directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alexander Payne, the movie has been slowly garnering interest with several promos rolling out ahead of the upcoming official trailer for the movie, including a short teaser late last month.

Downsizing not only boasts a critically acclaimed director, it also packs plenty of star power. It stars Matt Damon as Paul Safranek, Kristen Wiig as his wife, Audrey, Christoph Waltz as aging party boy Dusan, Udo Kier as Joris, Hong Chau as Ngoc Lan, and James Van Der Beek, Laura Dern, and Neil Patrick Harris.

The film tackles the idea of trying to solve over-population by shrinking humans to 5 inches (13 cm) tall in the course of 200 years. The experiment is supposedly spearheaded by Norwegian scientists and comes with some very attractive benefits, which lead "everyday couple" Paul and Audrey to leave everything behind in Omaha and partake in the procedure in the hope of starting a new (albeit smaller) life. Little they know that the lifestyle change will thrust them in an unexpected adventure full of surprises and self-discovery.

Paul and Audrey like at two tiny people in Downsizing

We get a sense of the deeper narrative that Payne paints in the film, while the storyline sounds very straightforward: people's various intentions of going small makes the experiment somehow questionable. While the scientists present them as a way to solve Earth's problems like overpopulation, those who undergo the procedure, like Dave Johnson (Jason Sudeikis), sees it as a way to better his lifestyle thanks to the way it inflates his family's own financial resources. This becomes a huge factor on the Safraneks who eventually decide to join the experiment.

Unfortunately, things go south for Paul very quick following his procedure, as after the dust settles, he realizes all the complications come with going small, not to mention dealing with the fact that Aubrey backs out last minute and does not shrink.

Aside from directing and co-writing (teaming-up with Jim Taylor) for the satirical comedy drama, Payne is also producing the film via his Ad Hominem production company together with Gran Via Productions’ Mark Johnson. Meanwhile, Taylor and Jim Burke executive produced. Prior to its December release -- just in time to be considered for this year's Academy Awards, the film has been doing the film festival rounds, having been shown in Venice, Telluride, and TIFF. Unfortunately, Downsizing has been getting mixed reviews from critics, which is somewhat unexpected for such a stellar cast and collaboration between Payne and Damon.

Next: Downsizing First Look: Alexander Payne Goes Black Mirror

Source: Paramount Pictures