Corporate hacker villian on a skateboard
Added 10/15/2009
This is a review that for me can be summed up in one line, as stated in the title. The film's primary antagonist is an evil hacker (Fisher Stevens), black trenchcoat and all, who works for a major corporation... and also rides a skateboard. Just think about that for a moment. One part of you should be recoiling from the bad filmmaking, the other half should be saying something like "oh, the 90's... right...". (Er, and Angelina Jolie is really hot in this as well, and that deserves mention).
But come on- this super evil corporate guy who wears black and has it out for our heroes... also rides a skateboard. Yes, this is a great movie. I might clarify- this is a great movie in the b-movie way.
Our movie stars... a hacker. Johnny Lee Miller actually does a pretty good job with this role, with his usual intensity. Supporting him are a few names that would quickly rise to higher fame following this film- particularly Angeline Jolie (who is really hot in this movie, did I mention that?) and Matthew Lillard, who both play very eccentric hacker prototypes in unique ways. Opposing our hero are Fisher Stevens (on the skateboard) and Penn Jillette (insert here a joke about how no magician could save this script). The acting really does tend to be pretty good- it's the situations and "hacker" cliches that really make (or break) this movie.
First up, everyone knows that when you use a computer you see a 3d animation that looks like a blueprint of New York on your screen, right? And when you want to do anything on a computer, you pound keys as fast as you can and the faster you press the better the results, yes? These elements are in extreme force here. Also seen are corporations being really evil just because corporations are evil, and lower-end goons falls to three-stooges-esque verbal and physical gags, but all of that sort of misses the point.
In the end, what this really is, is a glorious celebration of hacker culture and the misconceptions surrounding it. There's a tremendous amount of this movie that's actually very well-researched and smart, such as "human engineering" techniques that wouldn't really enter the mainstream for some time. Then again, there's also heaps of the aforementioned cliches and general Hollywood ridiculousness. In that sense however, this movie is a real cultural icon, chock full of obvious marketing ploys to try to make the movie look hip for the new generation (which is probably a trademarked slogan now that I think about it).
So Hackers is a fun movie. Modern movie fans might equate it to an experience like Zoolander in terms of good fun that's not meant to be taken too seriously. But there's really a decent emotional core about real hacker culture buried in here. Not the media image of kids who break into bank accounts to steal money from innocent strangers, but the real hackers- the kids who are bored and made fun of in school, who find out that computers just might be the only thing they're really good at, and the computer-using culture is the only place where they feel they fit in. This movie has heart in that respect, and goes on to top off that bit of heart with a lot of over-the-top fun and have I mentioned how attractive Angelina Jolie is in this movie?
Pick this movie up today if you like poking fun at B-movies, and you'll have a blast. Pick it up if you used to be one of those downtrodden kids who turned to computers for escapism, and you'll get a lot of that escapism here. Pick up this flick if you think that computer hackers and villains on skateboards sound like dumb ideas worth making fun of. A lot of people can have a lot of fun with this one, and I recommend it highly.
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Early Angelina
Added 10/11/2009
This is a period piece in computer-geek cinema. It is a classic story. It is a must-have for any Angelina Jolie collection though it is pretty tame compared to her later work.
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This movie is one of my favorite movies I owned the VHS tape until it broke and when I seen it on Amazon.com I just had to get it. It's awesome I love this movie and since I have purchased it I have watched it several times now. It is a wonderful addition to our movie collection.
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great movie. true classic. loved the music and the story lines. if you enjoy this movie you will also like the pest
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Hackers is an awesome movie based on the time it was made
Added 6/27/2009
Hackers may be a little overboard in the hunt for hackers but many people do not know that "underground" areas exist. The movie effects were great and kept interest. Chemistry between ALL of the "hacker" actors/actoress was exceptional.
The overall plot was reasonable even thou the "bad guy" role was slightly over the top. The "side kick" to the "bad guy" was hilarious on how she really went into the "dumb blonde" (no offense intended) mode.
Crash and Burn in the pool with Crash letting Burn know what the others decided was hilarious and the ending was awesome.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Corporate hacker villian on a skateboard
Added 10/15/2009
This is a review that for me can be summed up in one line, as stated in the title. The film's primary antagonist is an evil hacker (Fisher Stevens), black trenchcoat and all, who works for a major corporation... and also rides a skateboard. Just think about that for a moment. One part of you should be recoiling from the bad filmmaking, the other half should be saying something like "oh, the 90's... right...". (Er, and Angelina Jolie is really hot in this as well, and that deserves mention).
But come on- this super evil corporate guy who wears black and has it out for our heroes... also rides a skateboard. Yes, this is a great movie. I might clarify- this is a great movie in the b-movie way.
Our movie stars... a hacker. Johnny Lee Miller actually does a pretty good job with this role, with his usual intensity. Supporting him are a few names that would quickly rise to higher fame following this film- particularly Angeline Jolie (who is really hot in this movie, did I mention that?) and Matthew Lillard, who both play very eccentric hacker prototypes in unique ways. Opposing our hero are Fisher Stevens (on the skateboard) and Penn Jillette (insert here a joke about how no magician could save this script). The acting really does tend to be pretty good- it's the situations and "hacker" cliches that really make (or break) this movie.
First up, everyone knows that when you use a computer you see a 3d animation that looks like a blueprint of New York on your screen, right? And when you want to do anything on a computer, you pound keys as fast as you can and the faster you press the better the results, yes? These elements are in extreme force here. Also seen are corporations being really evil just because corporations are evil, and lower-end goons falls to three-stooges-esque verbal and physical gags, but all of that sort of misses the point.
In the end, what this really is, is a glorious celebration of hacker culture and the misconceptions surrounding it. There's a tremendous amount of this movie that's actually very well-researched and smart, such as "human engineering" techniques that wouldn't really enter the mainstream for some time. Then again, there's also heaps of the aforementioned cliches and general Hollywood ridiculousness. In that sense however, this movie is a real cultural icon, chock full of obvious marketing ploys to try to make the movie look hip for the new generation (which is probably a trademarked slogan now that I think about it).
So Hackers is a fun movie. Modern movie fans might equate it to an experience like Zoolander in terms of good fun that's not meant to be taken too seriously. But there's really a decent emotional core about real hacker culture buried in here. Not the media image of kids who break into bank accounts to steal money from innocent strangers, but the real hackers- the kids who are bored and made fun of in school, who find out that computers just might be the only thing they're really good at, and the computer-using culture is the only place where they feel they fit in. This movie has heart in that respect, and goes on to top off that bit of heart with a lot of over-the-top fun and have I mentioned how attractive Angelina Jolie is in this movie?
Pick this movie up today if you like poking fun at B-movies, and you'll have a blast. Pick it up if you used to be one of those downtrodden kids who turned to computers for escapism, and you'll get a lot of that escapism here. Pick up this flick if you think that computer hackers and villains on skateboards sound like dumb ideas worth making fun of. A lot of people can have a lot of fun with this one, and I recommend it highly.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Early Angelina
Added 10/11/2009
This is a period piece in computer-geek cinema. It is a classic story. It is a must-have for any Angelina Jolie collection though it is pretty tame compared to her later work.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
This movie is one of my favorite movies I owned the VHS tape until it broke and when I seen it on Amazon.com I just had to get it. It's awesome I love this movie and since I have purchased it I have watched it several times now. It is a wonderful addition to our movie collection.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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