From: shank@CS.UCLA.EDU (Eric Shank)
Subject: %-) SOC: LAWNMOWER MAN: Film Review
Date: 31 Jan 92 23:11:46 GMT
Organization: UCLA, Computer Science Department



LAWNMOWER MAN FILM REVIEW

Sneak Preview seen 1/30/92

Last night I saw a sneak preview of THE LAWNMOWER MAN, a film about
VR, based (loosely I've heard) on a Steven King Story.

I can say right up front, this film will be influential on the public's
perception of our work in much the same way as WAR GAMES was in the
'80s.  I haven't decided yet whether the impact will be positive or
negative, see it and decide for yourself!  It's a fun movie with great
special effects, as good or better than T2.  Review follows...


.....this is meant to be "safe"  I won't spoil any surprises....


PLOT: No surprises here, the story centers around a scientist (Pierce
Brosnan) who is researching intelligence enhancement with Virtual
Reality.  His funding is from a mysterious, war oriented organization
referred to only as "The Shop".  He works at Virtual Space Industries,
a high-tech contractor.  The original experiments are oriented on
combat performance enhancement and done on apes.  

You guessed it.. the film centers on what happens when he gets tired 
of defense work and tries out his intelligence enhancement techniques 
on a human.

The setting is almost comic book like- VSI is set in a high-tech dungeon,
a giant, nuclear hardened complex which is much more impressive than
any laboratory any of us work in!  The film is visually very
impressive, and the sound is amazing.  See this one in THX, 70mm.

TECH: This film is definitely about VIRTUAL REALITY- complete with
EyePhones, DataGloves, etc. with the VPL logo.  The computer graphics
are top noch, each frame probably took several hours of rendering
time- the film represents what we hope VR will be like in a few years.
I'd say this is a step above T2 in technology, but still like THE LAST
STARFIGHTER in terms of graphic realism.  The film includes some
excellent scenes of VR applications which, however unrealistic, are
very impressive and exciting.

STORYLINE: The films protagonist is a pacifist and interested in the
benefits of VR for performance enhancement, disabled rehabilitation,
etc.  The antagonist, "The Shop", looks at it in terms of weapon's
potential.  So, the moral is "don't let this technology fall into the
wrong hands".

IMPACT: At first, the inclusion of actual commercial products (from
VPL) worried me- I thought the public would perceive the film as a
documentary.  Fortunately (I think), THE LAWNMOWER MAN blows right on
from reality (no pun intended) to fantasy without so much as a blink.
It goes far enough that I believe it will make Virtual Reality a
house-hold word, without making the public think they know everything
about it.

This film will definitely change how your friends and relatives
perceive your work- "YOU do THAT!?!"  But I wonder how it will
change the attitudes of those who give us grant money.  I myself just
submitted a proposal which included the words "virtual space" in the
title.  Will they take me seriously?  Enjoy the movie...


Eric Shank
Ph.D. Student
UCLA Dept. of Computer Science

* These words are mine alone, but I make no claim to original thought *