The Lawnmower Man Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

The Lawnmower Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Stephen Larson June 26, 2017

Brett Leonard's The Lawnmower Man was the beginning of a small wave of films that cinematically explored the possibilities of virtual reality in the early to mid nineties, which include Steve Barnett's Mindwarp (1992), Rachel Talalay's Ghost in the Machine (1993), John Flynn's Brainscan (1994), Leonard's own Virtuosity (1995), Robert Longo's Johnny Mnemonic (1995), and Rick King's Terminal Justice (1996). The Lawnmower Man owes a literary debt not only to the eponymous short story by Stephen King that it's very loosely based upon, but also to Daniel Keyes's novel, Flowers for Algernon, which is about a retarded man named Charlie who receives an operation that bestows him with super intelligent gifts. The book became the filmic basis for Ralph Nelson's Charley (1968), starring Cliff Robertson in the title role and Claire Bloom as his love interest. In his 1992 film, Leonard places Jobe Smith, a sweet simpleton who has the mind of 6-year-old and an IQ no higher than 45, in the sympathetic role of Charley. Jobe resides in a shack amid a rural area near a Roman Catholic church where he is under the custodianship of Father Francis McKeen (Jeremy Slate). Jobe enjoys being a gardener and mowing lawns but Father McKeen is so overprotective and stern with him that he flogs Jobe if the lad thinks impure thoughts. Dr. Lawrence Angelo (Pierce Brosnan), a customer of Jobe's who lives in an upper-class neighborhood, is developing his VR experiments on primates but when his favorite chimpanzee goes berserk and shoots a security guard, Angelo must drastically rethink his methods. Angelo works for Virtual Science Industries and is at the behest of the Department of Scientific Intelligence and "The Shop," a CIA-like paramilitary agency that wants to apply Angelo's experiments for defense weapons. One day Angelo sees Jobe cutting his grass and decides that he could be the human guinea pig for his next series of experiments. Jobe loves playing games and becomes immersed in the VR simulation he experiences after donning the ViewFinder goggles Angelo gives him. Angelo feels sorry for his pupil and asks Jobe if he'd like to be smarter. The scientist injects him with unsanctioned drugs and the artificial enhancements transform Jobe from a timid adolescent into a superior man with inflated brawn and a genius mind.

The lawnmower man in action.

Jobe's physical and intellectual development affects all of his relationships. He is no longer meek in front of Jake Simpson (John Laughlin), the town bully, and stands defiant towards Father McKeen's punishment of flagellation. Once a virgin, Jobe experiences an improved sex drive and becomes smitten with Marnie Burke (Jenny Wright), a sensual and horny young widow who carries lemonade around and lures Jobe to hop into bed with her. Meanwhile, Angelo's infatuation with his work leaves little time to spend with his impatient wife, Caroline (Colleen Coffey), who promptly packs her bags for a getaway. Angelo likes his next-door neighbor, Carla Parkette (Rosalee Mayeux), and witnesses the verbal and physical abuse her husband, Harold (Ray Lykins), inflicts on their young son, Peter (Austin O'Brien). Although this subplot is predictable, Leonard develops the relationship between Angelo and the Parkettes rather well.

The true highlight of The Lawnmower Man is the thirty-odd minutes of computer graphics and early digital effects produced by the special effects companies Xaos and Angel Studios. The movie had a budget of under $10 million and photographed the animation using NTSC resolution. In post-production, the filmmakers used a process known as Gemini before converting the animated effects and blowing them up to 35mm. For an indie in the early nineties, the visual effects in Leonard's film were impressive for the time and hold up fairly well today. The characters are anchored to a Gyrosphere and suspended in space as they experience a three-dimensional world comprised of metallic figures, geometric shapes, and neon colors through their experience simulator. The movie is notable for two milestones: the first to depict a VR cybersex scene and at least one of the first to attempt motion capture technology.

The Lawnmower Man received mixed reviews during its spring, 1992 theatrical run. Critics thought its narrative paled in comparison to TRON (1982) but believed its animation and computer-generated effects greatly surpassed the Disney film. Soren Andersen, a reviewer for The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA) was effusive in his praise: "I would say The Lawnmower Man comes as close as is presently possible for a movie to come to simulating the Virtual Reality experience." Data mined from Box Office Mojo indicates that the movie enjoyed a pretty wide release across the country (screenings in 1,318 theaters). The Lawnmower Man was New Line's box office champ for the year, raking in over $32 million.

The Lawnmower Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Lawnmower Man makes its North American debut on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory. Leonard's second feature film (following 1989's The Dead Pit) was originally released as a 140-minute "Unrated Director's Cut" on LaserDisc in 1992 courtesy of New Line Home Video and Columbia TriStar Home Video. Some years later, New Line re-issued the D.C. on a THX-certified Widescreen Special Edition LD. In 1997, only the 108-minute theatrical version was released on DVD under the New Line Platinum Series banner. For the first time on home video, this Shout! Collector's Edition includes both versions, with each cut placed on an AVC-encoded BD-50. Former New Line Cinema CEO Robert Shaye presided over final edits of the film before release prints were made. Shaye preferred that Leonard favor showcasing the then-groundbreaking visual effects over conversational moments so several dialogue-centered scenes were excised in the process. I understand Shaye's rationale and in regard to pacing, I prefer the Theatrical Cut over the Director's Cut. On the other hand, the thirty-two minutes of additional scenes that have been reintegrated into the narrative change the first act, allow subplots to develop more, and permit the characters to grow and mature at a slower rate.

Both the T.C. and D.C. carry video streams that average 35000 kbps. The Lawnmower Man appears in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The digital intermediate print is taken from a new 4K scan. For nighttime and low-lit scenes, the transfer displays a thick and dense texture with an abundance of grain. Scenes involving bureaucrats affiliated with The Shop appear cold and sterile. The picture is sharp and contrast looks improved compared to standard definition video. Flesh tones look natural and unmanipulated.

Prior to the start of the movie on the second disc (and preceding New Line's logo), the following text screen appears from Shout!: "In putting the director's cut back together we had to use two sources — an interpositive of the theatrical cut and the original camera negative of the additional director's cut footage. You will notice some jump cuts during the film. These were also noticeable in the original New Line Director's Cut. We have worked to minimize them by removing some frames, but you will still notice jump cuts between the different footage."

As director Brett Leonard observes on the disc's commentary track, there are "jumps" in the film when a scene that originated from the work print has been inserted back into the film. The reason for this is because the negative had to be cut for the T.C., at least one or two frames were eliminated. Leonard also notes the variations in color temperature between the two types of footage. Detail and colors look very good on the D.C. (see Screenshot #20 of Brosnan's face). The scenes added back in appear vastly superior to the dozen deleted scenes (also included here as a separate bonus feature) that have been upscaled to HD. When you play just the deleted scenes, you'll notice aliasing, edge enhancement, and overmodulation (i.e., lines of distortion). Thankfully, those scenes in the D.C. have none of those issues and appear pretty pristine.

Screenshot #s 1-13 = Theatrical Cut Screenshot #s 14-20 = Director's Cut

Shout! has provided twelve scene selections apiece for both the T.C. and D.C. The LD had a whopping forty-six chapter breaks!

The Lawnmower Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For the T.C. and D.C., Shout! has created a new DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 remix and the movie's original Dolby Surround Spectral Recording, rendered here as a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. Authoring and encoding differ from both versions. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 option on the D.C. has twice the bitrate (3832 kbps/24-bit) than on the T.C. (1991 kbps/24-bit). The 5.1 packs a bit more oomph on the D.C. A lot of the film is front-channel heavy but car noises and music stand out on the surrounds. Dialogue is clean and understandable. The characters' marching footsteps on concrete and pavement sound crisp and realistic. The rears get the most action when the characters are enmeshed in their VR realm (sound effects on the sides are amplified).

Shout! has included optional English SDH for the main feature.

The Lawnmower Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Shout! has replicated a handful of extras from the DVD and added a brand new documentary. Shout! drops the the "Production Notes" and "Cast Bios and Filmographies" found on the New Line DVD. DISC ONE: THEATRICAL CUT

• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Brett Leonard and Writer/Producer Gimel Everett - a feature-length track with Leonard and his late producing partner Everett that was originally recorded for a LD in the mid-nineties. The pair engage in a lively chat about the production and cover several topics. There is really only one big gap of silence. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW Cybergod: Creating The Lawnmower Man – Featuring Interviews with Co-Writer/Director Brett Leonard, Actor Jeff Fahey, Editor Alan Baumgarten, Make-up Effects Artist Michael Deak, and Special Effects Coordinator Frank Ceglia (50:40) - a new retrospective doc on the making of The Lawnmower Man that includes interviews with Leonard, Fahey, Baumgarten, Deak, and Ceglia. This fifty-minute piece covers casting, cinematography, visual effects, music, editing, and reaction to the film's theatrical release. In English, not subtitled.

• Deleted Scenes (27:30) - twelve deleted scenes that play consecutively with fade-outs in between each. The scenes are not numbered or named. Do note the presence of shimmering on the image. In English, not subtitled.

• Original Electronic Press Kit with Cast Interviews and Behind-the-Scenes Footage (4:43, upconverted to 1080) - this grainy promotional featurette incorporates clips from the film and interviews with Pierce Brosnan, Jeff Fahey, and Brett Leonard. Presented in 1.33:1.In English, not subtitled.

• Edited Animated Sequences (4:20, upconverted to 1080) - basically a short compilation of some of the animated sequences shown in the film. Presented in 1.33:1 and accompanied by musical underscore.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:11, 1080p) - struck from a 35mm print, this original theatrical trailer of The Lawnmower Man contains decent colors but also has speckles and other film artifacts. Presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. In English, not subtitled.

• TV Spot (0:31, upconverted to 1080) - considering age and the source, this is a good-looking TV spot of The Lawnmower Man that New Line had the networks air. Presented in 1.33:1. In English, not subtitled.

• Easter Egg (0:33, upconverted to 1080) - a video game promo for the Super Nintendo edition of The Lawnmower Man.

DISC TWO: DIRECTOR'S CUT

• Audio Commentary with Writer/Director Brett Leonard and Writer/Producer Gimel Everett - this is the same track as the first disc but incorporates additional remarks for footage that's been added.

• Conceptual Art and Design Sketches (2:51, upconverted to 1080) - a slide show of thirty-two images comprised of concept art pieces (in color) and hand-drawn sketches of characters/props (in black and white). These are blown up and appear to be taken from an analog source rather than a high-res scan of the originals.

• Behind-the-Scenes and Production Stills (7:11, upconverted to 1080) - a slide show of eighty-four images consisting of production stills, on-set photographs, lobby cards from the film's Spanish ad campaign, and EPK pictures. They are mostly in color and the behind-the-scenes snapshots have a fuzzy quality and less clear resolution than the others. All images have been blown up and upscaled to 1080.

• Storyboard Comparison (1:54, upconverted to 1080) - in a cramped 1:33:1 ratio, this shows two adjacent screens: on the left, the VR lovemaking scene from the film plays while on the right, storyboards display the illustrative process behind its creation.

• Easter Egg (1:33, upconverted to 1080) - a TV spot advertising a giveaway prize contest that was aired to promote the sequel to The Lawnmower Man. This was sourced from a VCR recording.

The Lawnmower Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Lawnmower Man doesn't really have much of a plot or a compelling storyline but holds up as a remarkable achievement in its rendering of computer animation and pre-CGI effects. With its inclusion of both the Theatrical Cut and the Director's Cut, Shout! Factory compiles what should be considered the "Ultimate Edition" of the film. The label delivers stellar video and sound presentations. The movie has not looked or sounded better than it does here. Shout! has recycled the most important bonus features from the previous LD/DVD and added a terrific new making-of doc. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.