Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace
Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (also subtitled Jobe's War) is a 1996 science fiction action film written and directed by Farhad Mann, and starring Matt Frewer, Patrick Bergin, Austin O'Brien, and Ely Pouget. It is a sequel to the 1992 film The Lawnmower Man. The film was negatively reviewed by both critics and fans of the original film.[3]
Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Farhad Mann |
Produced by | Keith Fox Edward Simons |
Screenplay by | Farhad Mann |
Story by | Farhad Mann Michael Miner |
Starring |
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Music by | Robert Folk |
Cinematography | Ward Russell |
Edited by | James D. Mitchell Joel Goodman Peter E. Berger (uncredited) |
Distributed by | New Line Cinema |
Release date |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
Language | English |
Budget | $15 million[1] |
Box office | $2.4 million[2] |
Plot
The founder of virtual reality, Dr. Benjamin Trace (Patrick Bergin), has lost a legal battle to secure a patent on the most powerful worldwide communications chip ever invented. Touted as the one operating system to control all others, in the wrong hands the "Chiron Chip" has the potential to dominate a society dependent on computers. When corporate tycoon and virtual reality entrepreneur Jonathan Walker (Kevin Conway) takes over development of the Chiron Chip, he and his team discover Jobe Smith (Matt Frewer) barely alive after the destruction of Virtual Space Industries. After having his face reconstructed and his legs amputated they hook him up to their database to have him help them perfect the Chiron Chip.
Six years later, a now 16-year-old Peter Parkette (Austin O'Brien) is a computer hacker and living in the subways of a cyberpunk Los Angeles with a group of other runaway teens. While hooked into cyberspace, Jobe reconnects with Peter and asks him to find Dr. Trace for him. Peter locates Trace living out in a desert and brings him to his hideout to speak with Jobe. Online, Jobe shows Trace his newly constructed cyber world and asks for info on Egypt, a hidden Nano routine in the chip's design. Trace refuses to tell him, noting Jobe to be insane and that he wouldn't understand its power. Enraged, Jobe hacks into the subway's system computer to send another train crashing into the one Trace and the teenagers are in, but Trace causes the runaway car to crash into a construction site instead. However, the group is forced to flee after the entire tunnel is blown out.
Joining forces with Dr. Cori Platt (Ely Pouget), Trace's former lover, Trace, Peter and his friends must go on a race against time to save the world from Jobe's diabolical scheme and face him in one last battle in cyberspace. In the end, Trace defeats the villain with help from Jobe who turns back into his former good self.
Cast
- Patrick Bergin as Dr. Benjamin Trace
- Matt Frewer as Jobe Smith
- Austin O'Brien as Peter Parkette
- Ely Pouget as Dr. Cori Platt
- Kevin Conway as Jonathan Walker
- Camille Cooper as Jennifer
- Patrick LaBrecque as Shawn
- Crystal Celeste Grant as Jade
- Sean P. Young as Travis
- Mathew Valencia as Homeless Kid
- Trever O'Brien as Young Peter Parkette
- Richard Fancy as Senator Greenspan
- Ellis Williams as Chief of Security
- Castulo Guerra as Guillermo
- Molly Shannon as Homeless Lady
Reception
Lawnmower Man 2 was poorly received by critics, with an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 2.4/10.[4] The plot and characters were generally negatively received,[5][6] while the visual effects received mixed reviews.[7][8]
Home media
The film was first released on VHS and LaserDisc in the US in mid-1996, in both pan-and-scan and the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and bearing the Jobe's War subtitle. It was later released on DVD, with the only special features being the ability to watch it in either pan-and-scan or widescreen and a now-obsolete DVD-Rom feature.
In Australia, the film was released on VHS in early 1997 in pan-and-scan. The only pseudo-widescreen release of the film in Australia was as a DVD in 2010, cropped into 1.85:1 from the original 2.35:1 then windowboxed for a 4:3 image. Both releases contained the original Beyond Cyberspace subtitle.
References
- Blair, Iain. "Lawnmower Man Makes Cyberhistory". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- "Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- "Lawnmower Man 2 - Jobe's War (Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
- "Lawnmower Man 2 - Jobe's War (Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace)".
- "Film Review: The Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace".
- Hicks, Chris (14 January 1996). "Film review: Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace".
- "Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace". 15 January 1996.
- Harrington, Richard. "'Lawnmover Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace' (PG-13)". www.washingtonpost.com.