Summary
A gifted high school student steals plutonium from the secret nuclear weapons facility in his home town in order to construct his own nuclear bomb, win a national science fair, and expose the government's secrets.
Good for
- Date night
- Friends night
- Teens
Where to watch
Fingerprint
At a glance
Critics vs audiences
Critics and audiences agree
Critics 56Audiences 59GoodWatch 57
Metascore61
Tomatometer50%
User score6.6
Letterboxd · 4 K ratings3.2/5
IMDb6.1
Audience score45%
Box office
22%of its budget back
- Budget
- $18 M
- Worldwide
- $4 M
Worldwide it made back $4 M of the $18 M it cost.
Running time
1 h 58 min
Longer than most sci-fi movies, +19 min on the typical 99
typical 99118Half of all sci-fi movies run 90–112 min.
Reach
Streams in 6 countries, rent or buy in 41 more
Released
1986
June 13, 1986
40 years ago
Genres
Science FictionThrillerLanguage
English
Original language
Made in
- United States
Rated
- PG-13United States
Not for young kids: it's rated PG-13 in the United States, and the viewing guide lists it for teens and adults.
What's in it
- ViolenceMild
- Gore, disturbing imagesLittle or none
- Frightening scenesLittle or none
- Sex, nudityLittle or none
- Dark themesMild
Levels from the title analysis.
Viewing guide
AdultsDate NightFriends NightPartner WatchPublic Viewing SafeSolo WatchTeensBinge-FriendlyThought-ProvokingNot listed for kids or family movie night.
and 32 more56 people
- John LithgowJohn Mathewson
- Christopher ColletPaul Stephens
- Cynthia NixonJenny Anderman
- Jill EikenberryElizabeth Stephens
- John MahoneyLt. Col. Conroy
- Richard JenkinsRadiation Controls Officer
- Sully BoyarNight Guard
- Timothy CarhartRelief Guard
Gregg EdelmanScience Teacher
JD CullumEccles (as John David Cullum)- AUAbraham UngerRoland (as Abe Unger)
Robert Sean LeonardMax
Fred MelamedHoward
Ned EisenbergC-4 Guy (uncredited)
Richard CouncilGovernment Aide
Robert SchenkkanGovernment Aide
Steve BlumLaser Efficiency Kid (as Richard Cardona)- SBSarah BurkeJenny's Parent
- WMWarren ManziDay Attendant
- PAPaul AustinGeneral
Adrian SparksScientist- CDCurt DempsterScientist
- BFBran FerrenLab Assistant
- DQDavid QuinnTennis
Directing · 1
- Marshall Brickman Director, Writer, Producer
Writing · 1
- Thomas Baum Writer
Production · 4
- Bruce McNall Producer
- Jennifer Ogden Producer
- Juliet Taylor Casting
- Roger Paradiso Associate Producer
Camera · 2
- Billy Williams Director of Photography
- Hank Muller Assistant Camera
Editing · 1
- Nina Feinberg Editor
Sound · 1
- Philippe Sarde Original Music Composer
Art · 3
- Philip Rosenberg Production Design
- Robert Guerra Art Direction
- Nina Ramsey Set Decoration
Costume & Make-Up · 1
- Shay Cunliffe Costume Design
Visual Effects · 1
- Bran Ferren Visual Effects Director
Other crew · 1
- Roy Farfel Stunts
Tropes
More like this
Similar
Most like The Manhattan Project overall
Nearest on the related map: closest in everything it does to you, not one trait
- Sneakers (1992)
GoodWatch score 72 - The China Syndrome (1979)
GoodWatch score 80 - Project X (1987)
GoodWatch score 64 - Kimi (2022)
GoodWatch score 73 - Special Ops 1.5 The Himmat Story (2021)
GoodWatch score 81 - Beforeigners (2019)
GoodWatch score 79 - UFO (2018)
GoodWatch score 63 - Cyber Vaar (2022)
GoodWatch score 73 - Enemy of the State (1998)
GoodWatch score 70 - The Pretender (1996)
GoodWatch score 79 - Alex Rider (2020)
GoodWatch score 71 - Snabba Cash (2021)
GoodWatch score 72 - Biohackers (2020)
GoodWatch score 84 - Jamtara – Sabka Number Ayega (2020)
GoodWatch score 71 - Nerkonda Paarvai (2019)
GoodWatch score 79 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
GoodWatch score 74
Same genre
More science fiction movies
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
GoodWatch score 75 - The Hunger Games (2012)
GoodWatch score 70 - The Incredible Hulk (2008)
GoodWatch score 61 - Alien: Romulus (2024)
GoodWatch score 67 - Annihilation (2018)
GoodWatch score 73 - Alien: Covenant (2017)
GoodWatch score 62 - Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
GoodWatch score 63 - Clayface (2026)
GoodWatch score 66