X
- 1986
- PG-13
- Twentieth Century Fox
- 1 h 57 m
- 1986
- PG-13
- Twentieth Century Fox
- 1 h 57 m
Summary A teen and his girlfriend make an atomic bomb with plutonium stolen from a scientist dating his mother.
Directed By: Marshall Brickman
Written By: Thomas Baum, Marshall Brickman
- 1986
- PG-13
- Twentieth Century Fox
- 1 h 57 m
- 1986
- PG-13
- Twentieth Century Fox
- 1 h 57 m
The Manhattan Project
61
User Score
Generally Favorable
6.8
Summary A teen and his girlfriend make an atomic bomb with plutonium stolen from a scientist dating his mother.
Directed By: Marshall Brickman
Written By: Thomas Baum, Marshall Brickman
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
61
45% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
55% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 Critic Reviews
61
45% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
55% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
A clever, funny and very skillful thriller about how a kid builds his own atomic bomb. This isn't really a teenage movie at all, it's a thriller. And it's one of those thrillers that stays as close as possible to the everyday lives of convincing people, so that the movie's frightening aspects are convincing.
A warm, comedy-laced doomsday story. Using clever one-liners and many humorous situations, Brickman manages successfully to sugarcoat the story’s serious message.
This exciting, if conventional, teen thriller effectively makes its points about the dangers of the nuclear age. It features a fine performance from Lithgow as the brilliant yet troubled scientist, and writer-director Marshall Brickman does a nice job of emphasizing human values.
When the bland moral rectitude takes over, the film's comedy spirit withers. But there are a lot of enjoyable things.
When Collet is interacting with other kids or with his girlfriend and partner-in-crime Jenny (Cynthia Nixon, who played Mozart's maid in Amadeus), The Manhattan Project is a witty, enjoyable teen-age movie. But when, laughs and all, it is addressing the nuclear perils -- timely as the topic might be in the aftermath of Chernobyl -- the project dries up under the spell of sophisticated visual values, glossy props and sexy laser lights. [13 June 1986, p.D3]
Mr. Brickman, who directed the film and wrote the screenplay (with Thomas Baum), has a real gift for eccentric comedy and characters. The Manhattan Project, with its vaguely populist leanings, isn't crazy enough. Mr. Brickman fails to make big issues comprehensible. He just makes them small.
A low-key, high-tech, out-of-touch tale of a teen who builds his own personal nuclear projectile for a science project. It's an ambivalent adventure patterned on the likes of WarGames, but without the humor or action. [13 June 1986, p.29]
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 4 User Ratings
6.8
50% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
50% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 4 User Ratings
6.8
50% Positive
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
50% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Awards
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Young Artist Awards
• 1 Nomination
Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
