THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 22, 1995 TAG: 9509220058
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALAN CHANG, TEENOLOGY MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
IN A SOCIETY dependent on computers, a simple glitch can mean life or death. No wonder people worry about hackers invading their computers, planting pesky little viruses or stealing top-secret files.
Hackers are generally considered clever, malicious and rotten criminals, but the movie ``Hackers'' defends these computer whizzes as the good guys.
The movie starts with a court ruling forbidding an 11-year-old genius named Dade Murphy (Jonny Lee Miller) to use any computer until he reaches age 70. Why? Because this kid planted a super virus that crashed 15,007 stock market computers.
Six years later, he and his mother move to New York City. There he meets and falls in love with a formidable hacker named Kate (Angelina Jolie). The turn in this seemingly pointless movie occurs when one of the hackers steals part of a top-secret file from a corporate computer expert (Fisher Stevens). It contains information on a conspiracy that the corporate type is plotting.
The movie overemphasizes the genius of the hackers. Viewers are constantly shown in detail the processes they use to carry out their schemes. I felt like I should have brought a notebook and a pencil. The movie also glamorizes the hackers' ability to operate a computer. It seems as though they are super heroes with superpowers.
And there is a certain touch-and-go quality to the movie. A situation arises but the movie moves on and leaves it to viewers to make sense of it. Characters are also underdeveloped. We see Dade, Kate and others as either geniuses or tough guys. But we only see the computer part of their lives.
The dialogue between characters is simple, uninspired and never exceeds 10 words at a time. As a result, they appear to be one-dimensional and unreal. You leave scratching your head, trying to remember something interesting about them.
The film does have a unique presentation, but even that causes problems. Director Iain Softley uses unusual camera angles and filming techniques. The movie is like a bunch of pieces glued together, and the story does not unfold smoothly. Instead it jumps from one idea to another. This causes confusion at times; the audience has to pay close attention to what is going on. It is not a relaxing movie to watch.
``Hackers'' is a typical computer thriller - but lacking in mystery and seriousness. MEMO: ``Hackers'' is rated PG-13. ILLUSTRATION: MARK TILLIE, United Artists photo
Angelina Jolie and Jonny Lee Miller play computer whizzes who get
involved in an industrial conspiracy in ``Hackers.''
Photo
Alan Chang is a senior at Kempsville High School.
by CNB