Review of The Lawnmower Man (1992) by Brandon S — 27 May 2010

Technology turns mean yet again in "The Lawnmower Man," a science-fiction melodrama based on a 1975 short story by Stephen King.

The film is about Jobe (Jeff Fahey), a sweet-natured, mentally retarded young slob who, as a result of experiments with a pink serum, begins to comb his hair. He also turns into a brilliant megalomaniac. Having once been happy mowing lawns, Jobe suddenly dreams of becoming one with a main-frame computer and ruling the world.

On his way to the top he takes time off to do ghastly things to his guardian, an old priest who used to beat him, and to the town bully, who humiliated him.

The two principal scientists are played by Pierce Brosnan, who is the good one, and Mark Bringleson, the bad one. The movie was directed by Brett Leonard and written by him and Gimel Everett.

"The Lawn Mower Man" depends mostly on a lot of colorful video-game-like special effects. They are very loud but, after a while, the noise and the lights induce a torpor that is quite soothing.

The Lawnmower Man is a mistake. Stephen King's masterpiece turned into, well, this. I really didn't like this, I was so excited when I rented it. Yet, I found it overrated (the book anyways) and it was terrible action movie. Both the actors suck and they aren't any good. It was okay I guess I could say, but the storyline was a bit off, not in an overtone of gestures and good-will, but, in a sense of insanity towards cinema. What in the world this film was trying to prove (it made sense) will be beyond me, because it sucked.

A Stephen King masterpiece turned into an action film (instead of horror) and centers around a virgin lawnmower man is better than Epic Movie per say, yet it still doesn't cross the border over to the good side. The Lawnmower Man is your type of film if you liked Lady in the Water of The Happening, some other horrible films.

I mean come on. Stephen King! He's made Carrie, Salem's Lot, The Shining, The Stand, The Dead Zone, Firestarter, Cujo, The Running Man, The Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, Creepshow, Christine, Pet Sematary, Thinner, The Mist, It, Misery, The Tommyknockers, The Dark Half, The Langoliers, Secret Window, Needful Things, Dolores Claiborne, The Night Flier, Insomnia, The Green Mile, Desperation, Storm of the Century, Hearts in Atlantis, Dreamcatcher, 1408, Riding the Bullet, and other great masterpieces. And making something The Lawnmower Man or Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace isn't going to help much, or any for that matter.

Now let's take a look at Wes Craven. He's like Stephen King. He's made many great films: The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, Summer of Fear, Swamp Thing, Deadly Blessing, Invitation to Hell, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Chiller, Deadly Friend, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Shocker, The People Under the Stairs, Vampire in Brooklyn, Scream, Music of the Heart, Cursed, Red Eye, and Paris, Je T'Aime.

Many people have ruined films like these, and that's exactly what The Lawnmower Man did to Stephen King. I mean come on, Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace. You gotta be kiddin' me.