What kid doesn't want to build a nuclear bomb? And play with lasers? And get to make out with a hot chick? The Manhattan Project is a dream come true for any geek coming of age in the 1980s. And yet, coming as it did during the tail end of the Cold War, it's got a strong message about the collateral damage inflicted by the nuclear arms race.

The basis of the film is pretty simple: A teen named Paul (Christopher Collet, long since retired from acting) discovers a plutonium skunkworks in his suburban backyard after scientist John Mathewson (John Lithgow), who's new to town, hits on Paul's mom (Jill Eikenberry). Anxious to get into mom's pants, John woos Paul, allowing him into his lab, which Paul immediately discerns is making weapons-grade nuclear material on the quiet. More out of curiosity than malice, Paul and galpal Jenny (a young Cynthia Nixon), break into the lab -- in the film's centerpiece sequence -- and abscond with a vial of plutonium. She wants to write a story about it for the school paper. He instead decides to build the first privately-constructed nuclear bomb ever made, taking it to the science fair in Manhattan. Naturally, the feds catch wind of this and aren't entirely happy about it.

As absurd as the premise sounds, it's genuinely thrilling. From start to finish the film is a wild ride and tons of fun, with comedy, genuine tension, and lots of geeky science stuff throughout.

All of this makes for an unlikely project from Marshall Brickman, the screenwriter of Annie Hall. 21 years later it's still the last feature film he's directed. His skill with dialogue and plotting is an obvious help to the story. This is not a film full of throwaway, stock characters. Even the security guards have one-liners and feel richly developed. One science fair attendee wears an M.C. Escher yarmulke. I've seen the film a dozen times (geek: guilty!) and pick up something new every time.

It's a thrilling film from start to finish, and a highly underrated film that anyone can enjoy -- even if you aren't a massive, massive nerd.

The new Special Edition DVD includes a commentary track from Brickman, a kind of weak "'80s trivia track," and two making-of featurettes.