“Mad Genius” is about the struggle to figure out who we are. The film follows a hacker working through various personas and adversaries to see if he can hack the human mind. The goal is to see if humanity can be retrained and to remove the things that weaken us. Naturally, his fellow hackers and various baddies have a difference in opinion on his quest. So, what’s a well-meaning hacker to do?
Using technology to examine human evolution isn’t new. However, I appreciate the focus that low-budget cinema takes in the matter. Too often high concept work gets left to the bigger studios and out of the hands of true mavericks. If this is the kind of work that I can expect moving forward, then I welcome more movies like Mad Genius.
That being said, I would’ve liked to have seen the movie move a little faster. Editing and tempo concerns always seem to bother me now. During the second act, I found myself looking at the clock several times. It’s not going to impact everyone the same way, but the slow down did take me out of the movie. Still, I enjoyed myself.
![Rhinoceros (2026) [American Repertory Theater Review]](https://andersonvision.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/260813_Rhinoceros_DressProduction_HawverAndHall_PRINT_145-350x250.jpg)
