The Epic Sci-Fi Thriller That Stephen King Fans Can't Miss
Discover the perplexing flaws behind the Stephen King sci-fi adaptation, The Lawnmower Man From deviations from the original short story to a lackluster ending, learn why this film falls short of its potential
The movie adaptation of Stephen King's short story, The Lawnmower Man, was released in 1992, but bears little resemblance to the original work. King's short story was first published in Cavalier in 1975 and later republished in his book of short stories, Night Shift, in 1978. Despite the lack of connection to King's work, there was a video game and sequel, Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace, released in 1996. In 1994, King successfully sued New Line Cinema to prevent the movie from being marketed as Stephen King's The Lawnmower Man. With no use of King's storyline or characters, what caused the shortcomings of this sci-fi film?
What Is The Lawnmower Man About?
In The Lawnmower Man, Dr. Larry Angelo (Pierce Brosnan) conducts experiments on Jobe Smith (Jeff Fahey), a man with an intellectual disability, with the aim of increasing his intelligence. However, Jobe's newfound abilities, including telepathy and psychokinesis, lead him down a path of cruelty. Dr. Angelo soon realizes that his experiment has gone awry when Jobe expresses his desire to merge with a computer and take over the world. The rest of the film follows the battle between these two characters as technology takes center stage in a departure from the original short story's focus on a lawnmower's autonomous actions.
How Is The Movie Different From Stephen King's Short Story?
The Lawnmower Man and Firestarter remake, both released in 2022, failed to captivate the audience with their unoriginal plotlines and lackluster execution. The character Jobe, who possesses powers similar to those seen in many other horror and sci-fi movies, fails to stand out in a crowded genre. The lack of uniqueness in these movies makes them forgettable and easily dismissed by viewers.
The film adaptation of Stephen King's short story, The Lawnmower Man, takes a vastly different approach. In the movie, Harold Parkette hires a lawn care company named Pastoral Greenery to maintain his yard. While enjoying a moment of peace with a newspaper, he hears the sound of a lawnmower and soon realizes that it is operating on its own, without any human assistance. To his shock and horror, he discovers that the employee controlling the mower is completely naked, walking on all fours, and even eating the grass. This bizarre sight causes Harold to faint in fear.
King's mastery of language is evident in his novels, novellas and short stories, however, the same cannot be said for the film adaptations of his work. Despite its lackluster execution, the fast-paced and captivating nature of The Lawnmower Man short story keeps readers engaged. The horror is amplified when the protagonist reveals that his unique method of grass cutting is a matter of life and death. The chilling encounter with a character who claims to serve an ancient god adds to the story's unsettling allure, leaving readers with an unresolved sense of terror.
The Lawnmower Man film departs so far from the original short story that it's difficult to consider them related at all. Unfortunately, the resulting movie fails to deliver anything truly compelling in its place, offering a generic human vs. machine sci-fi plot that doesn't break any new ground.
How Does The Lawnmower Man End?
Blumhouse has delivered some impressive horror flicks that revolve around technology, but none of them can match the sheer entertainment value of The Lawnmower Man. The movie's central character, Jobe, manages to achieve his ultimate goal of becoming a digital entity that is no longer human. In a bid to get rid of Jobe, Dr. Angelo plants several bombs in the building, successfully trapping Jobe inside the computer. However, Jobe manages to outsmart Angelo in a showdown, and before leaving, he instructs Angelo to save his ten-year-old friend, Peter Parkette, when he arrives.
In the final moments of The Lawnmower Man, Jobe manages to escape the explosive fate that awaited him, and emerges back into reality. The film's ending sees Dr. Angelo sitting with Carla and her son, when the phones begin ringing around the world, signaling Jobe's success. However, this predictable conclusion only serves to reinforce the film's lackluster delivery of a tired sci-fi trope, with shallow characters and unconvincing technology. Ultimately, The Lawnmower Man falls short of being a worthwhile watch.
