Mitch Taylor (Gabriel Jarret) is a teenager with a strong engineering future. Fast-tracked to college to help further his skills, Mitch feels out of place and highly awkward when trying to work with his peers or make new friends. While his college roommate, Chris Knight (Val Kilmer), is brilliant, he seems to enjoy living life to the fullest with extreme partying and causing havoc among fellow peers. While Mitch is trying to adjust and blend in at his new college, his well-respected teacher Professor Jerry Hathaway (William Atherton), is working on something top-secret. The military needs the professor’s help to get his students (including Mitch and Chris) to develop a military weapon- a powerful laser that can be used to battle in future wars. It’s not long until Mitch, and Chris discover what they’ve been working towards. Now they must work together to ruin the military’s plan and save the whole world before it’s too late. Real Genius is best described as a comedy. Packed with gags that are wholly wacky and over the top, the film has some sci-fi elements and even a touch of teen romance. I found the scientific and sci-fi aspects of the film entertaining. This is also where the film becomes more creative, and we enjoy seeing the college hallways transformed into an ice ring so students can skate around. Overall, while I normally enjoy seeing Val Kilmer playing an over-the-top character in a wacky comedy, the jokes and over-the-top sense of humour didn’t work for me here. The gags feel far too forced and are trying far too hard to get a laugh from their audiences. Moments between scenes also sometimes needed to flow better together. Still, I must confess that the third act brings the movie to a fun conclusion with some great sci-fi-related ideas and creative visuals, redeeming the film’s quality and level of entertainment. * This review has been written for Sanity. For more reviews from Walkden Entertainment, check out the link here: www.walkdenentertainment.com