Quartile rating: 5.5/10 · 1 rating
A simple man is turned into a genius through the application of computer science.
The Lawnmower Man is a product of early-90s VR fascination, loosely inspired by a Stephen King short story (which King famously had his name removed from). The plot is derivative sci-fi horror — a Jekyll-and-Hyde uplift narrative that devolves into a standard power-gone-wrong thriller. Acting is serviceable but unremarkable, with Pierce Brosnan and Jeff Fahey delivering competent but unspectacular performances. Cinematography is functional genre work with nothing memorable beyond the CGI sequences. The CGI virtual reality visuals were genuinely novel for 1992 and gave the film a distinctive cyberpunk aesthetic that stood out at the time, earning a modest Novelty bump. The ending is unsatisfying and muddled, failing to deliver on the film's premise.