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+++
title = "Lawnmower Man (1992)"
author = ["Michał Sapka"]
date = 2024-02-19T23:03:00+01:00
categories = ["reviews"]
draft = false
weight = 2008
reviewSection = ["Movies"]
image_dir = "reviews/screenshots"
image_max_width = 765
abstract = "My mirco reviview of a vr killer thriller"
aliases = ["/blog/2024/lawmower-man-1992/", "brain-rot/lawnmower-man/lawmower-man-1992/", "brain-rot/american-scifi/lawnmower-man/lawmower-man-1992/"]
rating = 3.0
related = ["Lawnmower Man"]
relatedName = "Lawnmower Man"
image = "reviews/covers/lawnmower-man.jpg"
+++
Back in the glorious 90s, when kids still enjoyed linear TV, we had _Polsat_.
In the post-communist Poland, this was the first _western_ TV station.
Filled with western movies, and western series[^fn:1]
Among those, there were constant replays of _The Lawnmower Man_[^fn:2]
I watched it on every occasion and loved it.
Now, 30 years later it is time for a rewatch.
No cyberpunk deep dive can be considered a good one without _The Lawnmower Man_.
_The Lawnmower Man_ is a movie about a disabled lawnmower man, Jobe, who, with the usage of virtual reality, becomes a genius.
Soon after, an Evil Company, stars secretly giving him drugs contracted by the military.
And as result, he starts exhibiting mind reading abilities and telekinesis (because, obviously, why not?).
We've got the (popular at the time) subtext about the dangers of corporates who, without supervision, play God.
Somehow we stopped doing that, and now we've got Altman killing humanity with the clap of happy crowd.
_Lawmower Man_ is a movie about a great technology twisted by corporate overlords.
Fitting.
Jobe becomes a psychic, genius killer (like every mad genius), who decides to take over the cyberspace.
The movie was initially released as a _Stephen King_ movie.
King, however, sued the producers, as the movie has nothing to do the short story of the same name.
And he won, because it was based on original script called _CyberGod_.
Damn, I miss _cyber_ sounding cool.
They should have the original name, instead of forcing King on everyone.
And yes, I know King was the king back then.
{{< image class="centered" file="lawnmower-man-1992-0001.jpg" >}}
Remember when huge companies were scary?
{{< /image >}}
{{< image class="centered" file="lawnmower-man-1992-0002.jpg" >}}
That's one way to save your neck from Apple Vision
{{< /image >}}
The movie is we have here is a much dumbed down version of _Flowers for Algeron_, which I intend to finally read.
I don't think anyone ever called it a _good_ movie, and for a good reason.
It's cool, it's got great cyberspace CGI, it's got Pierce Brosnan.
It also has an opening scene with a monkey using a gun, so yeah.
Story-wise is as straight forward as it gets.
The first half is full of sweet shots of grass and sexualization of a lawnmower.
And the most awkward sex scene I've seen in ages... or two.
Then, through a heavy-handed comment about religion and corporations we go the killing part.
This movie fails as horror (there is not even blood or any scare here), and fails as morality play (it's not smart enough).
But it is a testament to the glorious time, when _cyberspace_ was magical and full of potential.
We sure deserve more of that.
{{< image class="centered" file="lawnmower-man-1992-0006.jpg" >}}
The cyberspace we all need.
{{< /image >}}
I give it a 3.0/5.
I was **sure** the ending of this film was from the sequel.
But nope - I don't remember anything from the second one.
Therefore, see you on the other side, _Beyond Cyberspace_.
If anything, it's a great movie to show everyone how amazing trackballs are.
And we all know it is a fact.
No one can tell me otherwise.
{{< image class="centered" file="lawnmower-man-1992-0004.jpg" >}}
The hidden star of the movie, right behind that hairy guy.
Look at that keyboard!
Look at how beige it is!
{{< /image >}}
{{< image class="centered" file="lawnmower-man-1992-0005.jpg" >}}
Cyber God indeed.
{{< /image >}}
[^fn:1]: And Polish version of those.
We had a great copy of _The Honeymooners_ named _Miodowe Lata_.
The translation of the title is surprisingly spot-on.
[^fn:2]: Under an amazingly translated title, which would translate back as _The Lawmower Man of Minds_.
Perfection.
We knew _Dirty Dancing_ as _Spinning Sex_ and _Die Hard_ as _Glass Trap_.
Those were simpler times.
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