Review of Hackers

Introduction

The plot is quite simplistic and easy to follow. A bunch of hackers who are universally condemned as trouble makers get the chance to clear their names and bring the culprit of a conspiracy to justice. While they try to absolve themselves, they get up to all sorts of technical shenanigans.

Is a film with a name like this asking for trouble in its depiction of tech heads and geeks?

Video

On the whole, the video quality of the 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer is crisp. There`s little or no sign of compression, and I guess this isn`t surprising since there`s hardly anything else on this disc to take up the space. Colours come out well and while there are a few signs of dirt, this is very minor. The blacks are really black with good contrast and balance. No sign of any bleeding what with all the colours around so detail remains high.

Audio

The sound is very good. There`s good use of music throughout the film and this plays really well on a 5.1 system, there`s good range and the bass kicks ass. Clear dialogue and well positioned sound makes the film standout and always gets my head bopping about.

Features

Static menu, scene selection, a trailer, subtitles for 10 languages and 5.1 encoding. Er, this is your lot. It`s a shame that there isn`t more to hand.

Conclusion

Any film with a title like "Hackers" is asking for trouble if it doesn`t manage to hold any credibility with its script or portrayal of technology. The script and computer special effects serve to do nothing more than patronise the audience and are made all the more palatable for the mainstream movie fan. I think anyone over the age of 11 with a modicum of tech savvy is going to feel a little cheated when they see what`s shown here. I suspect however that the portrayal of the Secret Service, in its role on computer crime, is a close depiction from what I`ve read of past accounts, so at least one thing rings with a modicum of truth to it.

Cast performances are average as is to be expected with a script like this. Jonny Lee Miller`s American accent sounds convincing enough to my British ears and Angelina Jolie just looks good.

Despite a lack of integrity in the story however, I did enjoy some parts of the film. Some of it is playful and fun accompanied with a thumping and bassy soundtrack which kept me distracted. So, would I recommend this DVD? If you haven`t seen it, you certainly wouldn`t be missing anything. I`m keeping this movie as an example of how not to make a film.