Director: Brett Leonard
Writer: Brett Leonard, Gimel Everett (Screenplay)
Starring: Jeff Fahey, Pierce Brosnan, Jenny Wright, Mark Bringelson, Geoffrey Leiws
Plot: A simple man is turned into a genius through the application of computer science.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Dated Sci-fi Film.
Story: The Lawnmower Man starts with Dr Lawrence Angelo (Brosnan) trying to use science to increase intelligence, for now he is working for government research center with chimps but they want him to push his subject too fast leading to him escaping. With Angelo trying to keep the chimp alive simple gardener Jobe (Fahey) offer the chimp shelter as the government closes in on it location.
With this experiment going sour Dr Angelo quits and decides to perform the experiment on human subject and the perfect subject is Jobe, as Jobe starts to learn from his enhancement he starts to becoming a deadly enemy of the entire nation.
The Lawnmower Man is the film that Stephen King sued for being made mainly for using his name because the film itself is nothing like the source material. Now going into looking at the story I have to say that the idea behind this story does come off nicely, we do get the usual cliché military who are trying to develop a weapon to use in battle and this time the weapon is increased intelligence. I do think that it not being a machine gaining power also works because in the end we have seen that too many times. I would also like to say this could easily have been way before its time and you can say that just by looking at the effects. I think this is isn’t actually that bad but just dated. (7/10)
Actor Review
Jeff Fahey: Jobe is the simple gardener who lives in the churchyard shed but becomes the latest subject in Dr Angelo’s experiment to increase intelligence in human subjects. With this new intelligence Jobe gets to improve the world around him before slowly taking over it all. Jeff gives a god performance starting off simple before becoming the god like state. (7/10)
Pierce Brosnan: Dr Lawrence Angelo is a brilliant scientist that is trying to crack the idea of imprving human intelligence, when he chimp experiment goes wrong he decides to take on human subject using the simple minded gardener, but soon things get out of hand. Pierce does a good job in this early role. (7/10)
Support Cast: The Lawnmower Man has a supporting cast that includes the generic styles when it comes to military people along with an early role for Breaking Bad’s Dean Norris.
Director Review: Brett Leonard – Brett does a good job directing this film which really is slightly before its time. (7/10)
Horror: The Lawnmower Man doesn’t really end up using the horror side of the story until Job goes on his rampage. (7/10)
Sci-Fi: The Lawnmower Man takes us into a virtual reality world for all the action to take place. (9/10)
Settings: The Lawnmower Man uses the basic settings but it is in the virtual world where everything really stands out. (8/10)
Special Effects: The Lawnmower Man has good effects for the time but now they have dated badly. (8/10)
Suggestion: The Lawnmower Man is one to try, the sci-fi fans will enjoy where the film has come from but it could end up being one that lets you down with the effects now. (Sci-fi Fans Try)
Best Part: Jobe’s rampage.
Worst Part: The effects look bad now.
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: Has one sequel
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Box Office: $32 Million
Budget: $10 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 48 Minutes
Tagline: God made him simple. Science made him a god.
Trivia: The scene where the cop says that the missing piece of the dead man is in the bird bath is the only thing in the entire movie that was in Stephen King‘s short story.
Overall: Sci-fi film that really doesn’t stand up like others
Rating 
