Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
Along with his new friends, a teenager who was arrested by the US Secret Service and banned from using a computer for writing a computer virus discovers a plot by a nefarious hacker, but they must use their computer skills to find the evidence while being pursued by the Secret Service and the evil computer genius behind the virus.
Hackers is a genuine cultural artifact of mid-90s cyberpunk anxiety and youth counterculture — its neon-soaked, MTV-influenced visual style and maximalist depiction of cyberspace are utterly singular and unmistakable, earning high Novelty. The cinematography captures that kinetic, playful energy well. However, the plot is thin and riddled with technobabble that strains credibility even by Hollywood standards, the acting is uneven (Jonah Miller's villain is cartoonish, the leads are charismatic but shallow), and the ending resolves too neatly and conveniently. A beloved cult film more for its aesthetic and cultural moment than for narrative or dramatic craft.