The Lawnmower Man

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The Lawnmower Man

R

1992

1h 48m

Sci-Fi

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

35%

Tomatometer

43 Reviews

31%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

The eccentric Dr. Lawrence Angelo puts mentally disabled landscaper Jobe Smith on a regimen of experimental pills and computer-simulated training sequences in hopes of augmenting the man's intelligence. In time, Jobe becomes noticeably brighter and also begins to fare much better with the opposite sex. As he develops psychic powers, he realizes that those around him have taken advantage of his simplicity his whole life, and he plots a bloody revenge.

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Critics Consensus

The Lawnmower Man suffers from a predictable, melodramatic script, and its once-groundbreaking visual effects look dated today.

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Anton Bitel

Little White Lies

While ultimately the villain, Jobe is also a victim, and his retreat into the virtual world is entirely understandable.

Jun 20, 2024

Full Review

Steven Rea

Philadelphia Inquirer

The Lawnmower Man echoes Frankenstein and a zillion other noble-scientist-whose-experiment-goes-awry movies.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 1, 2014

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Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

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.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 1, 2014

Full Review

Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Source material aside, this merely feels like a "dangers of technology" story, without the mind behind the project putting any more thought into it than that.

Rated: 2/5

Sep 15, 2025

Full Review

Kevin Carr

Fat Guys at the Movies

It’s cheesy and dripping in 90s silliness, but this VR thriller offers an unnerving – if not absurd – cyberthriller.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 27, 2024

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…even if the story is rote, this wacky directors cut is probably the best way to appreciate the skewed, past-tense vision of our future that we get a glimpse of here…

Rated: 3/5

Jul 19, 2022

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Justin T

It’s a brave concept to spend a lot of money on in the early nineties but they pulled it off! It’s hard to not compare it to Tron (1982) and Scanners (1981). It’s quite a slow build but it’s an interesting and very engaging story made so entertaining by the two lead characters who are perfectly cast in their roles. The film is very well made in every department, although the CGI looks incredibly dated but still has charm. The last 45 minutes are just riveting entertainment, the slow build is so worth it. Such a great film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/11/25

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bao s

I like it yes I do. Whee

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/28/25

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Eric S

I rewatched this movie that I last saw as a kid in the mid 90s. Look, this is not great cinema and it's certainly not a Stephen King adaptation, but it is a very fun old school CGI action/thriller. Plus, Pierce Brosnan. I gave it 2 stars because any more would not be an accurate representation of its value as a film to me. But that doesn't mean it's not super fun to watch. It is. Especially if you like corny sci-fi films from the 90s.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/13/25

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Nick E

One of the worst Stephen King adaptations.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

07/12/25

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Alexander B

This film is a sci fi/horror film about people merging with technology. Although the special effects haven't aged well and the tech featured in the movie is outdated I believe the film was ahead of its time philosophically. I would love to see a reboot.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/21/25

Full Review

Landon J

Oddball campy cyberpunk thriller, with some rather odd tropes. A fine enough time waster, expectations should be set fairly low though.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

04/13/25

Full Review

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Brett Leonard

Director

Jeff Fahey

Jobe Smith

Pierce Brosnan

Dr. Lawrence Angelo

Jenny Wright

Marnie Burke

Mark Bringelson

Sebastian Timms

Geoffrey Lewis

Terry McKeen

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Synopsis

The eccentric Dr. Lawrence Angelo puts mentally disabled landscaper Jobe Smith on a regimen of experimental pills and computer-simulated training sequences in hopes of augmenting the man's intelligence. In time, Jobe becomes noticeably brighter and also begins to fare much better with the opposite sex. As he develops psychic powers, he realizes that those around him have taken advantage of his simplicity his whole life, and he plots a bloody revenge.

Director: Brett Leonard
Producer: Gimel Everett
Screenwriter: Brett Leonard, Gimel Everett
Production Co: Allied Vision
Rating: R (Sensuality|Language|Violence)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Original Language: British English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 6, 1992, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 20, 2017
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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