The Lawnmower Man 1992

Dr. Lawrence Angelo (character name), a pioneering scientist at Virtual Space Industries (VSI), has been meticulously conducting experiments utilizing psychoactive substances and virtual reality to enhance cognitive abilities, codenamed “Project 5”. While Angelo’s intentions are genuinely benevolent, VSI is covertly funded by “The Shop”, a shadowy organization seeking to exploit Angelo’s research for military purposes. One of his test subjects, Rosco the chimpanzee, undergoes remarkable transformations, acquiring new intelligence, warfare training, and an unsettling level of aggression; however, he ultimately meets a violent end at the hands of the laboratory’s security forces.

This tragic event prompts Angelo to recruit Jobe Smith (character name), a gentle gardener afflicted with intellectual impairments, as his next test subject. With grandiose promises, Angelo convinces Jobe that he will unlock the secrets of intelligence, only to redesign the treatments to eliminate the aggression-inducing factors used in Rosco’s experiments. To everyone’s astonishment, Jobe not only demonstrates enhanced cognitive abilities but also exhibits extraordinary psychic talents, including telepathy and psychokinesis.

Jobe’s training at the lab progresses until an unforeseen accident forces Angelo to abandon the experiment prematurely. Meanwhile, Sebastian Timms (character name), the project director, secretly intercepts Angelo’s new medications, replacing them with the original Project 5 supply. When Jobe invites his new lover Marnie (character name) to partake in cybersex at the lab, a calamitous mistake unfolds, resulting in her lobotomy.

Jobe, now self-directed and fueled by a sense of vengeance, begins a ruthless crusade against those who have wronged him in the past. His killing spree extends to include Peter’s abusive father, sending shockwaves throughout the community. Angelo eventually discovers the truth behind the swapped medications and confronts Jobe, only to find himself captured and informed of his test subject’s diabolical plan.

Jobe announces his intention to transcend human limitations by merging with the VSI computer mainframe, subsequently connecting to every computer system worldwide, signaling his “birth” with an unprecedented phenomenon: every telephone on the planet simultaneously ringing in unison.

As The Shop dispatches a team to apprehend Jobe, he unleashes his newfound powers to disperse them like scattered leaves in an autumn breeze. Seizing control of the lab equipment, Jobe transcends the physical realm and assumes a digital presence, discarding his mortal vessel. Angelo, now ensconced within the VSI mainframe, encrypts all connections to the outside world, trapping Jobe in a virtual labyrinth. The digital being frantically searches for an unencumbered network conduit, while Angelo sets explosives to demolish the building, condemning Jobe’s electronic essence to oblivion. With a heavy heart, Angelo ventures into virtual reality, hoping to reason with Jobe or share his fate. However, Jobe proves too powerful, subjecting Angelo’s digital form to a gruesome crucifixion.

As the countdown to destruction begins, Jobe becomes aware of Peter’s presence in the building and, still harboring paternal sentiments towards the young boy, permits Angelo to leave the mainframe and attempt to rescue him. With seconds ticking away, Jobe escapes through a maintenance duct mere moments before the structure is reduced to rubble.

In the aftermath, Angelo returns home to his mother Carla and Peter, only to be startled by the incessant ringing of telephones worldwide, as if the very fabric of reality had been awakened.