Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Majorthebys Charming and brutal

Anoushka Slater While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

graphicspittz187 Wow I loved this movie I am a 80's kid and I never seen this. I really enjoyed this movie

classicsoncall There was a time and place for movies like this, but even during my younger years I managed to avoid pictures this pointless. The dialog is witty at times, I'll grant that, but it sort of loses it's punch the closer we get to transforming the laser project into a military weapon. Val Kilmer looks so young in this film that I had to look up his stats here on IMDb. This was in fact his very first starring movie role, but a far cry from the performance he delivered as Doc Holliday in "Tombstone". My primary reason in watching this movie was it's presence on IMDb's Top 250 list way back in it's very first year of 1996. I'm finding that the early years of IMDb were influenced pretty heavily by an audience that thought "Up in Smoke", "Dazed and Confused" and "Cheech and Chong's Next Movie" were cinematic masterpieces. With a goal of watching and reviewing all of them, it's going to be a formidable task. If I catch a break, there might even be a good one in there.

freerider101 I was born mid 1980's. I remember seeing this film early 90's. I loved it when I first saw it. It basically inspired me to pursue knowledge. It was after this film that I began disassembling my toys and making bigger cooler toys. It sparked my imagination. It's the film that made me pursue Physics up to now. :) It's a classic film that's underrated by most. The soundtrack is awesome. The last scene when Everybody wants to rule the world by Tears for fears starts playing is very Nostalgic. It makes me remember all my memories as a child growing up. It actually makes me wonder that in this fantasy world of Real Genius what's going to happen to these guys (C. Knight and gang). Do they start their own company? Do they get rich? Anything is possible. Sometimes I really hope they made a series out of this with the same actors because their chemistry is really awesome. It would have been more fun to see more of them working on something. :)

gpeevers While there were a lot of popular teen comedies from the 80's only a few really standout in retrospect, this film along with most of John Hughes work is amongst them.The story follows teenage prodigy Mitch who is recruited by the fictitious Pacific Tech University so that he might join other top young scientific minds bent on developing a powerful laser ostensibly to advance science but in reality to provide the military with a weapon for their arsenal.Mitch is played by Gabriel Jarret who is adequate in the role, while the supporting cast includes William Atherton (Die Hard, Ghostbusters) as the professor in charge and Michele Meyrink playing the hyperactive Jordan who becomes Mitch's love interest, Meyrink is very effective in her role but didn't have much of a career subsequently. The big star of the film though is Val Kilmer who plays Chris Knight who mentors the uptight Mitch both academically and socially.The films director is Martha Coolidge who seems to have had less success than her talent might have justified.The film offers an interesting portrayal of college campus life in the 1980's (at least) which seems for the most part far more accurate than other depictions. The film also covers the fairly common 1980's theme of a government conspiracy.In closing the film features a great choice of closing title music, at least for the 1980's with "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears.