Real Genius
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Movie Reviews of Real Genius
Movie Review: This Gem of a Film is a must-have on DVD!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
In deference to Kent, I will keep this review simple. When I first got my DVD Player several years ago, one of the movies on the top of my want list was Real Genius. I couldn't understand why the movie studios were releasing so many mediocre films from their libraries onto DVD when great movies like this one were still not out. I even wrote to the studio suggesting that they release it, but they responded that they had no immediate plans to do so. Now, years later, it has finally happened. Real Genius is coming out onto DVD. Oh happy day! I am elated at the prospect of seeing this comedic masterpiece in what I hope will be a fully restored form.I believe that some elements of the film are loosely modeled after Cal Tech and its students. I still remember reading an article years ago about the shenanigans that go on in Cal Tech's dorms. There is a widespread stereotype that brilliant people never have to study, and I appreciated that Real Genius showed that this belief is not true. I also liked the fact that this movie showed that geniuses can have fun too. If by some fluke, you have never seen this gem of a film, buy this DVD. This is one movie that you will definitely want in your collection to watch again and again. Because I no longer wear braces, I cannot say this with absolute certainty, but I think that Jesus would want you to own this DVD!
Movie Review: college should be like this
Summary: 5 Stars
Real Genius is definitely a great film. I don't know that I would say it is Kilmer's best, but it does show off his considerable comic talent, and I consider it one of his best.It is a delightful college romp with geeks aplenty, and the humor is a lot classier than Animal House, which is another good college flick. It is full of subtle and not so subtle satire on society, such as the botched saying ("like shooting ducks in a barrel") in the slick video boardroom presentation for the weapon concept, and the remark from one general after hearing about having a working weapon system by June - "Don't ask me, I haven't had a working weapon system since Korea."
I can't add anything about the Cal Tech trivia, but it did seem to me that the limo used for the weapon test looked an awful lot like JFK's ill-fated Dallas limo. Veiled commentary about the Military-Industrial Complex?
There is, of course, lots of geek/college humor, but nothing really gross. The sexual humor and references are pretty light, well handled, and fit in with the story. The humor covers the social commentary well, and the film makes its statements without preaching. It is a film I recommend to all students entering college. It is also one of those films that I watch regularly to boost my spirits and have a good time. It reminds one not to take onself too seriously. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: Great and goofy '80s fun, but the hyper girl deserved more credit
Summary: 5 Stars
A fifteen year old gets snapped up for a college scholarship in a physics program. Along the way, he meets a girl who never sleeps, a suck-up nerd, the last child protegy that had cracked under the stress, a nerd who's moved past the intensity and back into having fun, and a professor who is deep in the pockets of the DoD. When he and his friends realize the laser project they're working on is a key component of a very dark classified program, they decide to keep a super weapon out of military hands and pay back the professor that was exploiting their work.
Val Kilmer was brilliant as the nerd who had decided to start having fun, and William Atherton was exceptional as the professor who was trying to scam the DoD with his students efforts. Our hero's girlfriend, played by Michelle Meyrink, is hyper and goes through moods faster than most people go through tissues. Her charm pulled together a story that could have devolved into the most trite string of cliches. This was an incredible performance, and never got a fraction of the credit it deserves.
Great fun flick, grab the popcorn and see Val Kilmer at his best, and some of the best comedy of the '80s.
E. M. Van Court
Movie Review: For geeks of every generation.
Summary: 5 Stars
I think that it's a fairly safe assesment that every geek on the planet has seen Real Genius at least once, if not dozens of times. This is one of the all-time cult classes for anyone who's ever felt exiled for being brainier than their peers. Indeed, the role of Chris Knight may be Val Kilmer's defining role for thousands of geeks all over the world. For the three people out there who haven't seen the movie, a quick rundown is pretty simple. Stuffy boy genius goes to college where he meets slacker boy genius. Together, they work to save the world, each rubbing off some of their most notable personality trait on the other. Oh yeah, and Jordan's cute.
If you haven't seen Real Genius, go do so. It's not that the tech travels well, because it doesn't. (The movie was made in 1985.) It was never the tech that made the movie the classic it is, anyway. The story itself is timeless, and is worth watching for just about anyone.
Oh yeah, in case it wasn't clear from the description above (and I can see it wasn't), this is a comedy. Quite a goofy one. So go see it. It's only on TV about a dozen times a week, though it's better if you don't watch it on broadcast TV. And don't forget the popcorn.
Movie Review: a hacker's classic
Summary: 5 Stars
While this movie is loads of fun, to really understand it, you need to be immersed in the MIT-style hacker culture. All the elements are there: A tough institute of technology, the zany mixture of brilliance and adolescence, the MIT-style pranks, the semi-controlled anarchy that let hackers do their thing, and do it in style, all the while theses were written, patents issued, fat grants obtained, and the army and air force got their new toys.The movie centers on the controvertial symbiosis between the academia (a place were technological and scientific breakthroughs are made) and the military-government-industrial establishment that finances this "pure science". While the movie is cast in an 80's setting with the area of research being physics, the story seems to parallel the sixties and seventies, when the army and air force financed much of the research at what became the MIT AI lab -- research in robotics, vision, artificial intelligence, programming langauges -- with an abundance of military applications.
A great book to read either before or after the watching the movie is "Hackers" by Steven Levy. The parallels to this movie are astounding.