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Hackers Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 18 Reviews)
A cyberpunk thriller
The first time I saw Hackers was on the Sci-Fi channel in '97. The "teens" who play the main roles, Angelina Jolie, Jonny Lee Miller and Matthew Lillard, were surprisingly good. Be warned, though, that the script gets really cheesy (which can get a few laughs from me at certain parts). Another flaw is that the director made the hacking sequences look like light shows--they are completely unrealistic and laughable to anyone that knows a thing about actual hacking, but I suppose the sequences look cool to the ones that don't know a thing about hacking. To sum it up, the movie Wargames is more realistic to what hacking is like today and was made nearly 20 years ago! What I personally like most about the movie is its setting in New York City, close to where I grew up, and its original direction by Iain Softley. The movie soundtrack, full of techno rave, is remarkable and I recommend it just as highly as the movie. The cool thing about this movie is that it draws you in from the beginning and you become absorbed in the upbeat atmosphere of NYC.
I couldn't find Hackers on VHS way back when and DVD wasn't around yet, so I just taped the edited for TV version. I must've watched the video about a hundred times. I eventually rented the unedited version on VHS at Blockbuster when it finally showed up and I just recently got ahold of the DVD. The quality of sound is worlds better on DVD and the picture is preserved in its original widescreen format, but I was disappointed to find that the opening sequence of the movie was completely cut out--a brilliantly directed sequence that gave the background information about Miller's character. It by no means spoils the movie, however, and I still give the DVD a high recommendation. I've said about all there is to say, so if you're interested in a great adventure set in the new age technical world see Hackers.
Hack Job
To be honest, Hackers is not a great movie, especially when it stands up against other cyber thrillers like Sneakers and War Games, but as a pure guilty pleasure it ranks as one of my favorites.
Dade Murphy (Jonny Lee Miller) is a hacker prodigy, who, along with his Mom, (Lorraine Bracco) moves across the country to New York City. Soon he meets other kids like him, forming a High School cadre of misfits and rich kids who hack into computer systems purely for fun. When one of their group is suddenly arrested, the others band together to take on a corporate hacker disguised as a security officer in an attempt to expose his plans and save one of their own.
The film is clearly influenced by, and made for, the MTV generation. Director Iain Softley tries to do the best he can. The story has been done before and is muddled by a lot of techno speak. That said, it somehow, still manages to be something that's hard to ignore. The screen lights up as a very lovely Angelina Jolie, playing Kate, makes quite a splash. Miller is your typical anti-establishment hero but some of the sequences he initiates are a lot of fun to watch. I also liked some of the cyber names the characters have in the film, like "Cereal Killer", "Acid Burn" and "Zero Cool".
The DVD's only extras are the theatrical trailer and MGM's--sounds better than it really is--8-page booklet. It features trivia and production notes about the making of the movie.
There's no rhymne or reason, as to why I like Hackers, as much as I do. (Jolie??) If you are looking for a piece of good/bad fluff this fits the bill
You mess with the best you die like the rest!
There have been so many teen angst/adventure/comedy films made throughout the years and I have probably seen every one of them, but Hackers shines through like a needle in the haystack. Many of the so-called cliches of this genre are here but are acted so well that it's believable. The on screen relationship between Crash (Johnny Lee Miller) and the woman that portrays his mother is very genuine and Matthew Lillard steals the show (The way he acts in this movie shows us how Shaggy will be in Scooby Doo next year). Oh, don't worry, I didn't forget about Angelina Jolie who shows the viewer how we REALLY Want women to be like, she's a REAL LIFE HERO. But what might be the film's major achievement is that it portrays a real life society that has not been seen (I'm not talking about the HACKING aspect), the society of New York City! What many people don't realize is that New York is the closest thing in America to European Culture! Kids are very much free and they have more opportunities to become adults at a younger age because they are exposed to so much culture. It is very interesting to see how these high school kids hang out, in run down buildings that are remodeled to look like a Nintendo Convention, to the sleek underground laptop/music cafes that cater to the under 21 culture. New York is probably the only place in the U.S. where you don't have to be bored if you're not 21. The fact that they are computer Hackers is just a part of the New York scene and it radiates with curiosity and shows us that we are truly in a new age. But aside from all the technical things, the relationships the actors portray on screen are genuine and compasionate, the comedy is great, and the adventure is A+. In a film that should not have taken itself seriously, it did, and strangely it worked!
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