In general, the movie's atmosphere is a granular, electronic shade of absolute cool. The characters, though arguably thin, are larger than life, heroic, admirable, and extremely likable. You want to be Dade Murphy (Miller). You want to flirt with Kate Libby (Jolie). You want to know everyone else in the film. The story is linear; but thing is, that serves to aid the movie in a multitude of ways. The non-complex plot acts as a vehicle for character development, style, and a great soundtrack.
I'm a student of computer science, so obviously I can see how shoddy the technical underpinnings of some of the material are, but honestly, that has no effect on my enjoyment of this movie. The film almost acknowledges its unrealistic use of special effects with various hints dropped throughout the movie that would be lost on laymen, like the Metropolis poster in Kate's bedroom, the mention of various (in)famous pieces of technical literature, "hacking a Gibson", and Plague's use of the alias "Babbage". Where it can afford to, this movie has a pretty good grasp on hacker culture, so don't crap a bird and check your petty skepticism at the door; the movie is using visual metaphors to depict the intricacies of "hacking" to people who wouldn't be able to understand them otherwise, and it does it in a fun, stylistic way.
I have no doubt that seeing this movie at a young age cultivated my admiration for not only computing (and Angelina Jolie), but New York City as well. The film portrays the island of Manhattan as a sprawling, wired playground that never sleeps, rife with energy; a breathing invitation to stay out all night, win the girl, and hack the world around you.
The DVD cover sure as hell doesn't make it apparent, but this film is about the closest (and likely best) adaptation of William Gibson's cultural fission, Neuromancer, that you'll ever find. If you enjoyed this book, seek this movie immediately, and vice versa.
From the minute the flick starts, it yanks you in. Every time. You can't take Hackers completely seriously, and it knows that, so just have a good time and let the movie inspire you to question the rules and emerge a hero.
I'm a student of computer science, so obviously I can see how shoddy the technical underpinnings of some of the material are, but honestly, that has no effect on my enjoyment of this movie. The film almost acknowledges its unrealistic use of special effects with various hints dropped throughout the movie that would be lost on laymen, like the Metropolis poster in Kate's bedroom, the mention of various (in)famous pieces of technical literature, "hacking a Gibson", and Plague's use of the alias "Babbage". Where it can afford to, this movie has a pretty good grasp on hacker culture, so don't crap a bird and check your petty skepticism at the door; the movie is using visual metaphors to depict the intricacies of "hacking" to people who wouldn't be able to understand them otherwise, and it does it in a fun, stylistic way.
I have no doubt that seeing this movie at a young age cultivated my admiration for not only computing (and Angelina Jolie), but New York City as well. The film portrays the island of Manhattan as a sprawling, wired playground that never sleeps, rife with energy; a breathing invitation to stay out all night, win the girl, and hack the world around you.
The DVD cover sure as hell doesn't make it apparent, but this film is about the closest (and likely best) adaptation of William Gibson's cultural fission, Neuromancer, that you'll ever find. If you enjoyed this book, seek this movie immediately, and vice versa.
From the minute the flick starts, it yanks you in. Every time. You can't take Hackers completely seriously, and it knows that, so just have a good time and let the movie inspire you to question the rules and emerge a hero.