The term 'Virtual Reality' (VR) was initially coined by
Jaron Lanier, founder of VPL Research (1989). Other related terms include 'Artificial
Reality' (Myron Krueger, 1970s), 'Cyberspace' (William Gibson, 1984), and, more
recently, 'Virtual Worlds' and 'Virtual Environments' (1990s).
* * * STARRING: Jeff Fahey, Pierce Brosnan, Jenny Wright, Mark Bringleson, Geoffrey
Lewis, Jeremy Slate, Dean Norris
1992, 105 Minutes, Directed by: Brett Leonard
Oh dear. Virtual reality finally hits the big screen -
but not exactly in the way sci-fi fans or virtual reality boffins would have
liked it. VR boffins complained that Lawnmower Man created unrealistic expectations
amongst the public of what to expect from their "LSD of the 1990s"
(as once 'Sixties drug guru Timothy Leary dubbed it - talk about creating unrealistic
expectations!). Sci-fi fans complained that the movie was mostly cack.
They had it right: the plot, a mishmash of horror and the latest in technological
buzzwords, doesn't quite make the grade. Effects wise, this film deserves all
the accolades it can get. The computer graphics are spectacular and this movie
is the first time cyberspace really makes it to the big screen. However, one
cannot help but leave the cinema feeling cheated, feeling that all those incredible
graphics might have been better served by a better screenplay - perhaps William
Gibson's Neuromancer...
* * * STARRING: Keanu Reeves, Dolph Lundgren, Takeshi, Ice-T, Dina Meyer, Udo
Kier, Denis Akiyama, Henry Rollins, Tracy Tweed, Don Francks
1995, 98 Minutes, Directed by: Robert Longo
Cyberpunk godfather William Gibson's work finally makes it to the big screen. Unfortunately it is too late and one wonders what would have happened had his Hugo award-winning Neuromancer been made into a movie shortly after its publication. The sad truth is that we have already had buzzwords such as virtual reality and cyberspace explained in (albeit lesser) films such as