Review of The Lawnmower Man (1992) by Darren E — 17 Nov 2009

I'm a lover of bad movies. I hunt them down in order to give myself a true test of power and will. After reading countless reviews of The Lawnmower Man, I figured I was in store for another date with mediocrity. Instead, I got a fairly intriguing movie that sinks under pressure in the final act.

Dr. Lawrence Angelo (Pierce Brosnan) is having trouble getting his virtual reality project off the ground. Though the idea of making an animal or human smarter excites his colleagues, he can't seem to get it to work properly.

In comes the local Lawnmower Man Jobe Smith (Jeff Fahey), a man with a very low IQ. Dr. Angelo takes it upon himself to use Jobe as his first human test subject. As each lesson passes, Jobe becomes smarter by the minute. He does cede to some side affects, such as heavy migraines and hearing people's thoughts (most of them being negative towards Jobe).

This is where I start getting a mixed feeling. One on hand, the idea of making a human smarter is titillating. But, it's also a little insulting as well. The thought of changing a disabled man to make him "normal" can be construed as inhumane and despicable. Add on the others reactions to this (such as one of his clients suddenly being attracted to him), and you can easily rile up the audience.

For me, I found it to be the high point of the film. Witnessing Jobe becoming more intelligent and weak-willed to the new development was captivating. Then the third act kicks in.

Once Jobe starts to deteriorate, he starts losing his cool and starts murdering those who have harmed him or his friends and family in the past. As cheesy as using a lawnmower is, it pales in comparison to the bad CGI his mind uses on his foes (I literally mean he was able to use computer effects to off his foes, such as using digital fire instead of real fire). This is where the film falls apart.

Though the CGI looks good in the virtual world (especially for 1992), it looks awkward in the real world. I questioned why Jobe was able to, and decided to, use virtual fire and virtual bees instead of the real deal. It felt tacky and as if it came out of a B-movie.

If Lawnmower Man would've stuck with the psychological affects the virtual reality had on a human, it would've been a much better film. Instead, Brett Leonard opts to show off computer effects, which weaken the film and make it a tad bit laughable.