Released: September 15th, 1995
Rated: PG-13
Studio: MGM
Starring: Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie, Jesse
Bradford, Matthew Lillard, Fisher Stevens, Lorraine Bracco, Renoly Santiago,
Laurence Mason
Directed by: Iain Softley
Written by: Rafael Moreu
Personal Bias Alert: has nostalgia for the ‘90s, clueless about computers
6 of 10
Hackers may as well exist in another
world. Allegedly portraying the
underground hacker society of the mid ‘90s, which I can neither confirm nor
deny the accuracy of, this film seems like it's more a parody of ‘90s culture than a real
representation of it. This may not have
worked at the time, the film bombed at the box office and with critics, but
it’s since gained a cult following. I
can see why; It’s fun, intentionally so, and its weird cultural representation
makes it odd enough to chuckle at while still eliciting a fair amount of
nostalgia.
Starring
Jonny Lee Miller pre-Trainspotting
and Angelina Jolie pre-everything, the cast is a mishmash of capable actors,
most of which are still working today (how many ‘90s films can say that?). They’re all excellently cast here, with many
playing character types that later became their trademarks. Miller and Jolie are the essential ones,
bringing an effortless cool to their roles to make the film’s odd style work.
It’s
that style and the chemistry between the core group of friends that make the
early scenes pop. Outfitted in a mix of
‘90s skater, punk, and grunge, the group bonds over their hacking obsession and
are constantly engaging in strange battles to prove their own legitimacy. At one point, Miller’s Dade and Jolie’s Kate
engage in an arcade game showdown at a combo hacker/skater club that lets in a
lot of teenagers. The whole thing is
overwhelmingly odd, but it’s enjoyable to watch these people hang out. You won’t ever see the likes of them again.
That
makes it extra disappointing when the plot kicks in and the characters take a
backseat to a generic thriller plotline.
Sure, you still get some charmingly weird moments, like when the bad guy
played by Fisher Stevens covertly picks up Dade’s floppy disk on a skateboard, but these moment don’t
last long enough. The inexperienced
young actors struggle to bring the exposition-heavy scenes to life, and the
whole thing starts to drag.
Also
hampering the film is the incredibly un-cinematic action of typing on a
computer, which takes up much of the film’s time. Nowadays it’s common to see films struggle
with this, but in the mid ‘90s this would have been a pretty new problem. Few have done it successfully, and while it
doesn’t entirely succeeding, Hackers is
far from the worst I’ve seen. It employs
the tried and true method of speeding up time, but it also cuts to inaccurate
but colorful representation of what’s going on inside the computer. It’s a bit Tron-esque, with pulsing electronic music to keep you on edge, and
I kinda dug it.
Hackers is the kind of movie you
secretly enjoy. You know it’s not good,
and maybe you hit play under the guise of hate-watching, but I can’t imagine
anyone actually hating this film. Sure,
you can and should make fun of its ridiculousness, but it’s got that combo of
good-natured earnestness that sells the cheese.
You aren’t laughing at these guys, you’re laughing with them, because
you can bet that they had a blast making this thing.
Other Notes:
Ø I
know nothing about computers, hence I needed all the exposition they threw out.
Ø If
I were Jonny Lee Miller or Angelina Jolie, I’d dream about each other, too.
Ø Points
for a random Penn Jillette role.
Ø “What
did you learn in school today?”
“Revenge.”
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