Hackers
(1995)
What can you say about "Hackers" except that it's
bad? Not horribly bad really, just inept. It's supposed
to be some sort of techno-thriller-mystery about guys
who "hack" into computers via modems (phone lines).
But the scripter here doesn't seem to know the first
thing about computers. Nobody else on the production
end of the film seemed to take the time to bother to
get computer literate either. That's a problem because
the film is marketed to the computer generation, the
computer literate, and the script here lets them down
completely. Even a first grade computer geek could see
the flaws in this film after 5 minutes. Hell, I don't
know that much about computers and I saw through the
film right away.
Director Iain Softley was masterful at recreating
the past for the Beatles' story he told in "Backbeat"
(1994), but he has a great deal of difficulty creating
the future looming on the computer monitor. He doesn't
rely on the forefront of computer knowledge here and
instead plays off the technological future as some sort
of bitchin' graphics program. It looks totally unrealistic
and improbable. He has an even bigger problem with his
cast. All of them look familiar but only Lorraine Bracco
and Penn Jillette (of Penn and Teller fame) have recognizable
names. After the first 15 minutes, we don't care what
their names are anyway. Sure, a couple of them are cute
but nobody is sexy and nobody's character is interesting.
We don't care about anyone here. And the sexual tension
is so limp and lifeless that we don't give two shakes
about that angle of the plot either.
Still, Softley does do some things right. He takes
us through the architecture of the computer chip by
paying homage to Disney's "Tron" visually at times.
He also visually compares information traveling via
electronics to cars traveling on city streets. He compares
an "overhead shot" of a computer "board" full of chips
to an aerial shot of a city block. They sure are similar.
But, while they look alike, Softley and his scripter
(I can't remember his name) don't really have anything
to say about how they are alike.
Softley also uses fashion from 15 minutes into the
future that is colorful, androgynous and fun. He does
use sets the same way. But his sets look like sets.
They aren't gritty or real enough. It looks like he
reused the sets from Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo."
It's like retro 80's or something. Yuk. At least Softley
gets the soundtrack music right most of the time by
using techno dance tracks and a great score by Simon
Boswell.
That's about it. "Hackers" isn't for the computer
literate. It really isn't for anyone. There's not enough
sex to make it stimulating. There's not enough anything
to make it anything. One of the young actors in "Hackers"
may become famous one day however, then we can all look
back to their early work here and laugh.
Review written in 1995
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Report
Card
Script:
F
Acting: B-
Cinematography\Lighting: C+
Special Effects\Make Up: C+
Music: A
Final
Grade: D-
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