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The Lawnmower Man suffers from a predictable, melodramatic script, and its once-groundbreaking visual effects look dated today.
All Critics (38) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (13) | Rotten (25) | DVD (2)
The Lawnmower Man echoes Frankenstein and a zillion other noble-scientist-whose-experiment-goes-awry movies. Apr 1, 2014 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…
The Lawnmower Man echoes Frankenstein and a zillion other noble-scientist-whose-experiment-goes-awry movies.
Steven Rea
The Lawnmower Man has it all -- melodramatic plot, bad acting, special effects that will undoubtedly seem cheesy in about five minutes and even a concluding sequence in which the usual lofty moral is voiced. Apr 1, 2014 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…
The Lawnmower Man has it all -- melodramatic plot, bad acting, special effects that will undoubtedly seem cheesy in about five minutes and even a concluding sequence in which the usual lofty moral is voiced.
Jay Boyar
Dazzling computer animation and special effects overcome The Lawnmower Man's mundane story. Mar 26, 2009 | Full Review…
Dazzling computer animation and special effects overcome The Lawnmower Man's mundane story.
Variety Staff
Despite the hackneyed sub-Frankenstein plot, the dazzling computer-generated special effects almost carry the film. Jun 24, 2006 | Full Review…
Despite the hackneyed sub-Frankenstein plot, the dazzling computer-generated special effects almost carry the film.
The Lawnmower 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. Aug 30, 2004
The Lawnmower 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.
Vincent Canby
So loosely based on a Stephen King short story as to constitute fraud, The Lawnmower Man goes right to the bottom of a growing list of failed King adaptations. Jan 1, 2000 | Full Review…
So loosely based on a Stephen King short story as to constitute fraud, The Lawnmower Man goes right to the bottom of a growing list of failed King adaptations.
Richard Harrington
Gratuitously offensive. Jul 24, 2018 | Full Review…
Gratuitously offensive.
Vanessa Letts
Its greatest assets are its dazzling video game special effects. Nov 1, 2017 | Rating: C+ | Full Review…
Its greatest assets are its dazzling video game special effects.
Dennis Schwartz
Nowadays, The Lawnmower Man's cyberspace looks like a budget PlayStation 2 title. Oct 18, 2017 | Full Review…
Nowadays, The Lawnmower Man's cyberspace looks like a budget PlayStation 2 title.
Austin Trunick
The Lawnmower Man features an intriguing plot filled with some grand ideas, but thanks to a screenplay that throws all of that away in favor of a tonally-jarring and silly spectacle, we end up with a film whose full potential is never realized. Jun 19, 2017 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
The Lawnmower Man features an intriguing plot filled with some grand ideas, but thanks to a screenplay that throws all of that away in favor of a tonally-jarring and silly spectacle, we end up with a film whose full potential is never realized.
Jeff Beck
The Lawnmower Man is a visually stunning and innovative sojourn into a world of computer science gone haywire. Apr 1, 2014 | Full Review…
The Lawnmower Man is a visually stunning and innovative sojourn into a world of computer science gone haywire.
Roger Hurlburt
As a visual adventure, The Lawnmower Man is great fun. Apr 1, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…
As a visual adventure, The Lawnmower Man is great fun.
Stephen Hunter
Super Reviewer
Both a cyberpunk retelling of Frankenstein and bastardization of Stephen King's short story of the same name, The Lawnmower Man is made worse by its preposterous plot twists, dated effects, and ham acting.
Interesting idea for a Sci Fi horror film, but lacks any real sense of wonder. By today's standards the film looks very dated and it plays out like a cheap low budget horror flick. Overall this is a decent affair with nothing really special going for it. The film suffers from an ambitious scope that is limited by a so-so script. I was looking forward to seeing this, but in the end it's nothing too remarkable. Acting wise, the actors are pretty decent, nothing ever good or bad. This film could have been much better and with a concept like this, it's a shame that there was nothing memorable about the film. As a whole, The Lawnmower Man is worth seeing, but is not the type of film that warrants multiple viewings. This is the type of film that may have looked good on paper, but the execution is kind of weak, and you realize that the film doesn't fulfill its full potential. There has been another film that would explore virtual reality as a vehicle for horror and that film is Brainscan, which is a far superior movie than this. Overall, The Lawnmower Man is decent entertainment, but ultimately is forgettable in the long run. I think it's a great shame because I really liked the idea behind the plot, however the execution leaves a lot to be desired, and it could have been done better. There are times where things get silly, especially near the end. Some aspects could also have rewritten and you just end up wanting more out of this film. Throughout the film, you just realize that there's something missing to really make it a worthwhile horror experience.
A fairly average thriller that isn't in any way memorable. Dont get me wrong, it's not a bad movie but the brilliantly ingenius premise should have had a much better result. Bits of the movie are good but it's overlong and gives off jiggy legs too much. This was supposed to be a technical breakthrough of cinema but the effects are terribly outdated. 2 years after this was made The Mask was released. I think that would be called the real special effects breakthrough. Lawnmower man on a positive note is absolute fluff that casn be enjoyed on one viewing but you'll never think to watch it again.
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