The Net

I'm sad to see this movie has a relatively low rating. It isn't a perfect 10 but it's a very decent and enjoyable yarn. Get over the fact that it portrays a romanticised version of the internet that never existed - this was made a few years before it became commercially viable, so the majority of people didn't know a thing about it or what it looked like. Ignore this and you have a decent conspiracy thriller. Plus, the portrayal of the internet is infinitely more realistic than its cartoonish contemporary 'Hackers', which came out the same year. The tech isn't the star of the show here, and it doesn't rely on spectacle.

This isn't a bad movie thriller to keep you off the Internet for two hours, but can you take the risk? THE NET sounds unconvincing since our love of computers and cyber-sputting expresses what the story is all about, and a possible fad to recognize. Thankfully, it does attempt to bring some raw suspense that is head-and-shoulders above other lame films that contend to "artificial communication". Once again, Sandra Bullock knows how to keep her fans happy, and even though it's no "chick-flick", she's still the likeable character inside. This time, she's stalked in a game of cat-and-mouse and becomes ruined by an identity crisis. Even with the brand new concept of cyberware, that's just normal for a suspense thriller. An old, traditional "chase" plot gives the movie a blip on the screen, but the story is greatly paced and exciting enough to increase your pulse rate to rapid highs. The computer mess is the biggest fuss some viewers will have in common, including all those not used to this new style. A good shot at a modernization of mystery-suspense films, but you know exactly what to predict here. Why the new TV series?

I saw this film just last night, and I liked it. I know a lot about the Internet and so I DID notice the factual errors, but I was able to ignore them and enjoy the suspense. Sandra Bullock was good, and Jeremy Northam was creepy as the bad guy, mostly because he was so goodlooking and smooth that he was hard to hate.

I'd give it an 8 out of 10 for good suspense and an interesting look at the Internet when it was just beginning.

Okay, firstly I like Sandra Bullock anyway, but do admit she is not often lost in her characters and plays herself. She often plays slightly socially awkward characters however, she's believable, every-girl, and relatable and necessarily not too contrived especially in a storyline where you have to believe its happening and get involved.

Bullock is a computer analyst/programmer who works from home and gets sent a disk by a friend to look at. This disk causes problems which she has to work out during which she has to go on the run, her identity is erased. Angela Bennett is no more. It's scary stuff, and would have been more so back in the 90s when much of this was fairly new - it's very true that all our personal information is on computer so we all are vulnerable.

Sandra plays increasing desperation well, and the story unravels rather than unfolds, and is quite emotional in places - especially those including her mother with Alzeimer's. Jeremy Northam, Brit actor, and rather dishy, plays the antagonist, and plays it well. Being so attractive, his nefarious ways are even worse, and as all her safety is stripped away, he's always there to make her run again. I like that the programming scenes don't have silly graphics (see Hackers) but are clear key/screen clicks and code being typed and this is one of the most realistic of the many hacker films that came out in the 90s.

This has aged well, except some of the technology of course, and it's still relevant. It is interesting to see technology changes ie the ease and normalcy of tracing mobile phones now for example. Note the policeman reading the Miranda rights off a piece of paper - was this filmed around the time they had changed? Historically interesting watching it (again) now, in 2013. A good, entertaining film in a similar vein as The Pelican Brief - intelligent writing and not predictable.

Nostalgia may play a large part of my positive feelings towards this film as I watched it repeatedly on video with my younger sister as a teen. Back then "the net" was a new and largely undiscovered frontier, and this film romanticized hackers and the seemingly mysterious world wide web.

I would liken this to a less ambitious version of 'The Fugitive', a film that released two years prior (and by most accounts a superior thriller). Much of what happens in the course of this film is standard fare, but it is presented with a semblance of realism and never seems to hit any lulls or real snags in rhythm despite the frenetic pacing. The plot isn't entirely plausible or devoid of clichés, but it remains interesting from start to finish, and Bullock carries the role well.

There are scattered scenes that show astute directing on the part of Irwin Winkler, though some of the secondary characters give uneven performances. However, Bullock does an admirable service at depicting a frumpy insular woman uncomfortable with her own sexuality and outer beauty. Her character is both resourceful and vulnerable at once, and it's a fresh pace to see a female lead with some layers to peel back in a genre dominated by men. Dennis Miller is very likable in his role, and ably acts the part with a more downplayed version of his real life persona. He was my favorite character by far and brought a lot of warmth to the role.

I'm usually very critical of any movies I see, and am generally turned off by standard Hollywood fodder, but there is a certain charm to 'The Net' that I can't deny. I liked it in '95, and I like it again almost twenty years later. Like visiting an old friend, there's a familiarity to it that is so hopelessly 90's and so reminiscent of a bygone era--the inception of the internet age--that it carries a certain weight to me unmatched by the multitude of forgettable popcorn thrillers of the decade.