The Lawnmower Man

1992

Action / Horror / Sci-Fi

53
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 36% · 42 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 31% · 25K ratings
IMDb Rating 5.4/10 10 40958 41K

dream dreams virtual reality technology chimp manipulation

Plot summary

A simple man is turned into a genius through the application of computer science.

Director

Brett Leonard Photo
Brett Leonard

Top cast

Pierce Brosnan Photo
Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Lawrence Angelo
Dean Norris Photo
Dean Norris as The Director
Jeff Fahey Photo
Jeff Fahey as Jobe Smith
Geoffrey Lewis Photo
Geoffrey Lewis as Terry McKeen
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
1.02 GB
1280*682
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles
23.976 fps
1 hr 48 min
Seeds 10
2.15 GB
1920*1024
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles
23.976 fps
1 hr 48 min
Seeds 46

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by HorrorDisasterGuy-90617 6 / 10

Decent director's cut and mediocre theatrical version.

I found the director's cut better than the theatrical version. The story is interesting with a scientist who experiments on a disabled gardener who transforms into something else. I think it's interesting on the Virtual Space Industries and what goals are they trying to do. The director's cut have more build-up towards the characters and their problems throughout. It's also builds the character Jobe on how he's a simple guy but becomes smarter and more dangerous later in the movie. We also see the new abilities he gains when he is doing the experiments and uses that for his advantage. In the director's cut, we see how the industry isn't a good company and shows how their work can cause something to go very wrong. Also, later in the movie, the climax gets pretty crazy with Jobe using his new abilities to attack either his enemies or people get in his way. That part is pretty fun to see how bizarre this movie gets.The theatrical version lacks any build-up towards the characters, and it feels like it happened pretty quickly.
Reviewed by mark-908-122018 6 / 10

Reality vs Nostalgia

I saw this shortly after its theatrical release and for years that was the only version of this story that I knew. It was campy, felt King-ish (despite King removing his name from the production) and had some interesting story elements. Then and now I can't escape the fact that the plot seems lifted directly from Flowers for Algernon set in what was at the time cutting edge CGI. The only thing missing from the "stolen" plot is the human science experiment (Jobe) losing his recently gained super-intelligence. In this flick, he becomes evil and unpredictable - but predictably so.After a nostalgia viewing of the Director's Cut I can say that the restored footage makes a big difference in fleshing out the story. The original theatrical cut was a complete shitshow compared to the extended version. Angelo's girlfriend in particular became a whole character and some formerly missing scenes really helped the movie's overall cohesion. However, none of the restored scenes take away from some truly trite plot elements and wooden acting, particularly in nearly every role associated with "The Shop." Brosnan is decent, perhaps a bit overdoing the petulant scientist genius but Fahey's portrayal of Jobe is still very good. The transformation of his character from dolt to cyber god always struck me as well done and it holds up. Still unexplained in any adequate detail is the relationship with Dr. Angelo's neighbors.The CGI, as mentioned in other reviews, is laughable in the modern day. Setting that aside, the themes explored in the movie still seem relevant and frankly I'd love an updated telling that incorporates contemporary sensibilities and more cohesive storytelling. Worth a watch - if you temper your expectations. After all, this was a 90s take on technology's implications, an idea that could have been great but suffered too much from corporate editing and profit goals in its native time.
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