Movie Reviews of Real Genius
- One of the most underrated movies of the 1980s was "Real Genius," a film about college students that didn't buy into the frat boy/nerd/bimbo stereotypes about college students. Val Kilmer plays Chris Knight, one of the smartest students at Pacific Tech University, whose professor (William Atherton) has him unwittingly working on a government plan to create a laser weapon that can vaporize a human being from space. Chris helps Mitch (Gabe Jarrett) adjust to college life with stunts such as harnessing the campus lasers for a "Tanning Invitational" and freezing the dorm hallways for ice skating. When the students learn that their hard work will be used to kill people, they come up with a unique way to foil the professor's plans. The kids are smart and feel no need to apologize for it. So is the dialogue. This gem flew under the radar during the "Revenge of the Nerds"/"Porkys" era, but it holds up well and is easily worth the price of a DVD rental.
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