The Lawnmower Man

Name: The Lawnmower Man
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Released: March 6, 1992
Duration: 108 min
Rating: 42
Cast: Jeff Fahey, Pierce Brosnan

1992

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 22 Ratings

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5.9

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5.9	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 22 Ratings

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The Lawnmower Man

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Movie Details & Credits

New Line Cinema | Release Date: March 6, 1992 | R

Starring: Jeff Fahey, Pierce Brosnan

Summary: A simple man (Jeff Fahey) is turned into a genius through the application of computer science provided by a computer scientist (Pierce Brosnan). The first movie to capitalize on interest in virtual reality technology.

Director: Brett Leonard

Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 108 min

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Critic Reviews

Tim Harms

The story, however, was interesting and the minor characters, as well as the photography, were enjoyable to watch. Not to mention you get a preview of what may be next in home entertainment. [13 Mar 1992, p.N]

Staff (Not Credited)

The stunning visuals for the ‘virtual reality’ sequences really put The Lawnmower Man over. The computer animation doesn’t necessarily break new ground, but it marks the first time it has been so well integrated into a live-action story. Read full review

Empire Kim Newman

Although patched together from loose ends, this works surprisingly well, with interesting and well-integrated visual effects, some nice humour and a few genuinely visionary touches. Read full review

Ernest Tucker

Brosnan is convincing as the workaholic doctor who must stop his monster and Fahey is good illustrating the rise from cretin to creator. There is little more to this movie, but still, not bad future shock stuff. [10 Mar 1992, p.2-29]

Vincent Canby

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. Read full review

Jay Carr

Mostly plays like an artificial stupidity experiment. Zappy visuals aside, it's essentially a reactionary take on science, stemming from the movies' traditional belief that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and a lot of knowledge is worse. Think of it as Faust Goes to the Lab, with an ambitious doc serving as Mephistopheles. [6 Mar 1992, p.30]

Richard Harringdon

Unfortunately, the VR special effects are few and far between in a film short on plot and long on derivation. Read full review

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User Reviews

Joe_Sanderson

May 17, 2021

I had extremely low expectations going in but was pleasantly surprised by the acting and story. There are a lot of parts with unintended comedy which I greatly enjoy. What people here seem to miss is that the message isn't that knowledge itself is a bad thing, it's that knowledge can corruptI had extremely low expectations going in but was pleasantly surprised by the acting and story. There are a lot of parts with unintended comedy which I greatly enjoy. What people here seem to miss is that the message isn't that knowledge itself is a bad thing, it's that knowledge can corrupt and could potentially become dangerous in the wrong hands. One thing I didn't really like was how they portrayed mental deficiency as something that can be fixed, I understand it's fiction and it was the 90s but it still rubs me the wrong way.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

sail

Aug 6, 2019

The 90s had a heap of sci-fi what-if movies and this was one of the weaker ones but by no means a bad movie. It's still iconic and deserving of being a cult classic and being meme'ed. Its the kind of movie that after watching it 2.5hrs later you'll be thinking It throws a dozen differentThe 90s had a heap of sci-fi what-if movies and this was one of the weaker ones but by no means a bad movie. It's still iconic and deserving of being a cult classic and being meme'ed. Its the kind of movie that after watching it 2.5hrs later you'll be thinking It throws a dozen different concepts at you as it moves the story along quickly ignoring the plot holes it leaves behind to not get bogged down explaining everything. Theres many inappropropiate moments but theyre also honest of our real world. The visual effects were cutting edge at the time that wouldnt be completely surpassed by home consoles and pcs until the early 2000s. It looks a bit dated now but the vr apparatus is still ahead of what we have in homes today and the current vr headsets on the market are likely modeled after the props in this film. You can see other influencences this movie had such as Mechwarrior 2's betty voice and The Hollowman. And other things making an appearance in this film that were influenced by other movies. I wont name them tho so as not to spoiler the movie.

I really enjoy watching this movie and it's one that I go back to whenever I need a 90s fix.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

LamontRaymond

Jun 10, 2017

Other than a super unsatisfying ending, I was pretty much thrilled by the virtual reality graphics at the time. Jeff Fahey wasn't as terrible as many critics suggested, and I actually loved Brosnan's performance. There just wasn't a whole lot to the plot. But recommended for a fun lookOther than a super unsatisfying ending, I was pretty much thrilled by the virtual reality graphics at the time. Jeff Fahey wasn't as terrible as many critics suggested, and I actually loved Brosnan's performance. There just wasn't a whole lot to the plot. But recommended for a fun look back at that era.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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