How King sold the rights to his so-so short story about a murderous satyr who mows lawns to the producers, and how they turned it into this unrelated tribute to cyberspace/virtual reality, is probably a story in itself worthy of a movie. Don't be mislead by the King connection or the title: this is basically an early entry into the growing genre of virtual reality movie. There are some sympathetic performances, particularly Fahey but also by Brosnan. There is a definite "Flowers for Algernon" approach here, but ultimately it goes for a big finish and descends into a climactic battle for cyberspace as Fahey's lawnmower man turns bad. Adequate by the standards of the genre, but in no way a work of the master.
Review of The Lawnmower Man
The Lawnmower Man
(1992)
"Stephen King will disavow any knowledge of your activities..."
22 December 1998