Real Genius contains many pleasures, but one of the best is its conviction that the American campus contains life as we know it.

Roger Ebert

When science whiz Mitch Taylor (Gabe Jarret) arrives at Pacific Tech as a freshman, he’s paired up with genius senior Chris Knight (Val Kilmer) to work on a laser project. Mitch initially doesn’t care for Knight’s slacker attitude, but is eventually won over, and their friendship allows them to make new progress on the laser project. It’s only when the boys learn that the government intends to use the laser as a weapon that they start to question what they’ve actually been working for.