MovieMonday.com - The Lawnmower Man with Jeff Fahey, Pierce Brosnan, Jenny Wright, Geoffrey Lewis

Techno Films

The Lawnmower Man (B)

STARS...
Jeff Fahey, Pierce Brosnan, Jenny Wright, and Geoffrey Lewis.

PLOT SUMMARY...
A retarded man becomes a genius with strange powers following experiments involving drugs and Virtual Reality.

QUICK SCAN...
This film could be compared to "Charly". THE LAWNMOWER MAN features quality FX. Jeff Fahey, under Leonard's direction, makes a convincing transformation from retarded to genius. Pierce Brosnan is better than usual, as the scientist who is conducting the offbeat experiments. The FX in the Virtual Reality sequences are dazzling!

DIRECTOR: Brett Leonard
YEAR & RATING: 1992 (R)

BEST BETS:

Charly
Ghost in the Machine
SYNOPSIS...
Virtual Reality and drug experiments are done with a chimp, which then kills a man, escapes, and is killed.

A scientist begins to do V.R. and drug experiments on his retarded neighbor. The neighbor becomes smarter, dresses better, and develops a social life.

The formerly retarded guy, now an evil genius with E.S.P. powers, kills his enemies. The scientist traps him inside a computer, then blows it up.

Review:

Director/ Co-Writer Brett Leonard's, THE LAWNMOWER MAN, is a sometimes visually fascinating, but ultimately predictable Sci-Fi tale.

Pierce Brosnan (the current James Bond), is a scientist, working with drugs and Virtual Reality to improve the intelligence of chimps, in government sponsored research. When his prize chimp kills a man and escapes, the monkey is hunted down and killed. Anxious to continue his research, but this time with a person, Brosnan picks the retarded guy who mows his lawn as the test subject for his research.

Great pains seem to have been taken to show that Pierce Brosnan is playing a different character than his slick, "Remington Steele" TV character, that brought him great fame. This character wears glasses, has longer hair, drinks, and swears. He's obsessed with Virtual Reality, the way Richard Dreyfuss' character, in "Close Encounters," was obsessed with mash potatoes and mounds of clay. At one point he rants, "Virtual Reality holds the key to the evolution of the human mind".

Jeff Fahey's ("Psycho 3") character undergoes quite a character arc, from retarded person, to smart person, an evil genius with telekinetic powers. Under Leonard's firm Direction, Fahey goes through the changes convincingly, although he is encouraged to play his role a bit too broadly during the evil genius phase.

Geoffrey Lewis ("Night of the Comet") offers fine support as the gardener who employs Fahey. We care about Lewis, primarily because he's the only person in the film who truly wants the best for Fahey's character.

The Virtual Reality sequences, particularly the first couple of them, are colorful, dazzling, and vivid. Angel Studios and Xaos, Inc. are the responsible parties. Predictably, later Virtual Reality scenes are less impressive, as we become more familiar with the techniques involved.

The greatest flaw is that its story combines both Virtual Reality sequences and those demonstrating psychokinesis/telekinesis. After dazzling us with the strange, and fresh, sights and sound of, (simulated), Virtual reality experiences, it's rather old hat to see objects levitating and moving around, (on wires), as our mad genius moves them with his mind.

The Screenplay, by Director Leonard and Co-Writer Gimel Evertt, seems more concerned with throwing cool visuals at us then offering a coherent, well paced story. Not surprisingly, Leonard and Everett are also given credit for Conceiving and Supervising the film's Special Visual Effects.

My favorite scenes are the early, Virtual Reality sequences.

Director of Photography, Russell Carpenter, makes good use of blue/white light, as well as shadows, to create a hi-tech yet mysterious look for the film. He makes the futuristic Virtual Reality lab look like a church, which works well in the context of the film's story.

The Music, by Dan Wyman, is varied. Sometimes it's moody and unsettling, and other times gentle, with emphasis on the woodwind section.

THE LAWNMOWER MAN will be fairly watchable for most Sci-Fi fans. Pierce Brosnan, ie "Remington Steele" fans may enjoy seeing their hero in a change of pace role.

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The Lawnmower Man (B)
	STARS... Jeff Fahey, Pierce Brosnan, Jenny Wright, and Geoffrey Lewis. PLOT SUMMARY... A retarded man becomes a genius with strange powers following experiments involving drugs and Virtual Reality. QUICK SCAN... This film could be compared to "Charly". THE LAWNMOWER MAN features quality FX. Jeff Fahey, under Leonard's direction, makes a convincing transformation from retarded to genius. Pierce Brosnan is better than usual, as the scientist who is conducting the offbeat experiments. The FX in the Virtual Reality sequences are dazzling!
DIRECTOR: Brett Leonard YEAR & RATING: 1992 (R) BEST BETS: Charly Ghost in the Machine	SYNOPSIS... Virtual Reality and drug experiments are done with a chimp, which then kills a man, escapes, and is killed. A scientist begins to do V.R. and drug experiments on his retarded neighbor. The neighbor becomes smarter, dresses better, and develops a social life. The formerly retarded guy, now an evil genius with E.S.P. powers, kills his enemies. The scientist traps him inside a computer, then blows it up.
Review: Director/ Co-Writer Brett Leonard's, THE LAWNMOWER MAN, is a sometimes visually fascinating, but ultimately predictable Sci-Fi tale. Pierce Brosnan (the current James Bond), is a scientist, working with drugs and Virtual Reality to improve the intelligence of chimps, in government sponsored research. When his prize chimp kills a man and escapes, the monkey is hunted down and killed. Anxious to continue his research, but this time with a person, Brosnan picks the retarded guy who mows his lawn as the test subject for his research. Great pains seem to have been taken to show that Pierce Brosnan is playing a different character than his slick, "Remington Steele" TV character, that brought him great fame. This character wears glasses, has longer hair, drinks, and swears. He's obsessed with Virtual Reality, the way Richard Dreyfuss' character, in "Close Encounters," was obsessed with mash potatoes and mounds of clay. At one point he rants, "Virtual Reality holds the key to the evolution of the human mind". Jeff Fahey's ("Psycho 3") character undergoes quite a character arc, from retarded person, to smart person, an evil genius with telekinetic powers. Under Leonard's firm Direction, Fahey goes through the changes convincingly, although he is encouraged to play his role a bit too broadly during the evil genius phase. Geoffrey Lewis ("Night of the Comet") offers fine support as the gardener who employs Fahey. We care about Lewis, primarily because he's the only person in the film who truly wants the best for Fahey's character. The Virtual Reality sequences, particularly the first couple of them, are colorful, dazzling, and vivid. Angel Studios and Xaos, Inc. are the responsible parties. Predictably, later Virtual Reality scenes are less impressive, as we become more familiar with the techniques involved. The greatest flaw is that its story combines both Virtual Reality sequences and those demonstrating psychokinesis/telekinesis. After dazzling us with the strange, and fresh, sights and sound of, (simulated), Virtual reality experiences, it's rather old hat to see objects levitating and moving around, (on wires), as our mad genius moves them with his mind. The Screenplay, by Director Leonard and Co-Writer Gimel Evertt, seems more concerned with throwing cool visuals at us then offering a coherent, well paced story. Not surprisingly, Leonard and Everett are also given credit for Conceiving and Supervising the film's Special Visual Effects. My favorite scenes are the early, Virtual Reality sequences. Director of Photography, Russell Carpenter, makes good use of blue/white light, as well as shadows, to create a hi-tech yet mysterious look for the film. He makes the futuristic Virtual Reality lab look like a church, which works well in the context of the film's story. The Music, by Dan Wyman, is varied. Sometimes it's moody and unsettling, and other times gentle, with emphasis on the woodwind section. THE LAWNMOWER MAN will be fairly watchable for most Sci-Fi fans. Pierce Brosnan, ie "Remington Steele" fans may enjoy seeing their hero in a change of pace role.