The last time I watched Weird Science was when it was on TV in the 80s. A rewatch was on the cards.

Gary and Wyatt are two geeky teens who are regularly humiliated by their peers. They decide to create their ideal woman using computers after watching the classic movie Frankenstein. Their plan works.

I love the fact that creating a woman is seen as being possible by using home computers, such was the power of these new advancements in technology. I also love that they feed into the computer clippings from magazines to show the qualities they would like their ideal woman to have (one clipping is a huge pair of lips. Worryingly another is a picture of David Lee Roth of Van Halen). I also love the 80’s graphics of the computer which have, like the movie as a whole, aged very well.

This tale of horny teens who are rejected and marginalised by their peers could have been distinctly average in the hands of lesser talents. But this is a John Hughes movie produced by Joel Silver and has a sizeable budget provided by Universal Pictures.

One of the things that struck me the most about the movie was the cast. Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith are great in the leads. But the fact that the dream woman is played by the brilliant Kelly LeBrock is a major plus. She brings so much to the role that I actually find myself agreeing with Roger Ebert (a first) in his film review. He wrote that she shines in her portrayal and that a lot of the film’s charm is down to her.

But the whole cast bring so much to the movie. And the cast is like a cult cinema fans wet dream- Bill Paxton (who steals the show in any scene that he’s in), Michael Berryman and Vernon Wells (Matrix from Commando) as Mad Max 2 refugees who gatecrash a party thrown by the teens.

We even get Judie Aronson from Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (this isn’t the only link to the F13th movie. When deciding what their ideal woman must be like one of the boys says that she must be able to Aerobicise which is a reference to the movie that Axel the morgue attendant is watching in The Final Chapter just before he has his head forcibly spun around by Jason. Aerobicise was also produced by Universal and so they were publicising one of their own products). We also get Robert Russler and Robert Downey Jr as the two ‘cool’ teens as opposed to the two geek leads. Ironically, they appear to be even more embarrassing in a lot of ways, especially their wardrobe choices.

Weird Science is a horny teens movie and certainly not Brecht. But, if you want a fun 80s movie that holds your attention and is a great 80s trip down memory lane you could do much worse.

And you even get to see Bill Paxton’s ass. It’s just as great as you think it’s going to be.

3.5 stars out of 5