Hackers (1995)Screenshot: United Artists
No movie encapsulates the oft-maligned cyberpunk style of the 90s and 00s better than 1995s Hackers, 25 years old today. The film stars Dade Zero Cool Murphy (Jonny Lee Miller), Kate Acid Burn Libby (Angelina Jolie and her haircut), Ramon The Phantom Phreak Sanchez (Renoly Santiago), Emmanuel Cereal Killer Goldstein (Matthew Lillard), Paul Lord Nikon Cook (Laurence Mason) and Joey Pardella (Jesse Bradford long before he reaches heartthrob status in Bring It On) as a group of high school-aged, roller-blading hackers who use their intellect for run-of-the-mill delinquent debauchery that eventually leads to real criminal activity and the necessity of finding a fraudster in order to save themselves from prison time. Or maybe they felt the altruistic need to do the right thing in the face of corrupt authority? Really, the motivation doesnt matter, nor does the scheme, because Hackers is ultimately just a fun movie about rave clothes, a dance soundtrack (Orbital, The Prodigy, and Underworld are all represented), and an alternative reality where hacking is a skillset held by precocious, well-read teens and not political trolls looking to dismantle democracy, or whatever it is that real-life hackers do. In many ways, Hackers feels like proto-Mr. Robota collective of punk-y outcasts ripe for MIT who band together to create some good in the world and are almost destroyed because of it.
Ill try not to spoil the movie, even though it is now old enough to rent a car. But the plot to Hackers isnt what makes it worth watchingthe real attraction is the snapshot of now-vintage technology, a glimpse at what top-of-the-line gadgets looked like at the time and how optimistic a future run by floppy-disc-toting teens seemed. Everyone wore colored leather and helped each other out, and nothing hurt.
I rewatched Hackers on its 25th anniversaryhoping to draw some through-line between the retro-futurism depicted on screen and the tech-driven dystopia of modern-day existence. But that undercuts the true excellence of the film, which lies in the setting, not the plot. These teenage savants hang out at a New York City night club thats equal parts arcade, rave, laser tag, and roller rink while chain-smoking cigarettes, downing soda, and sharing classified digital security information with one anotheran image Ive carried with me since first watching the film and internalizing it as a pinnacle of 90s cool, as well as what I imagine the inside of Berghain to look like. Needless to say, it is a potent image.
The group of hackers, too, are more diverse than, say, Cher Horowitzs Clueless crew, another coming-of-age classic released in 1995. And yet, unlike Clueless, which doesnt sacrifice story for world-building, Hackers can get a little lost in its own ornamentation. The gadgety new world that these techno types inhabit [attracts] legitimate movie interest, even if it still hasnt proved gripping enough to sustain a whole film, critic Janet Maslin wrote in The New York Times in 1995. At first, Hackers stays enjoyable just by showing off the principals and their toys... But eventually Hackers turns tedious, perhaps not realizing that an audience can get tired of the same old equations floating in cyberspace. The same remains true in 2020.
That said, the specificity of the films aesthetic lends itself to revisionist viewing. Perhaps theres something to dissect about the teens ability to do what the government cannot and stop a massive cyberattack, but in reality, they wouldve been thwarted. I dont think any of it is that serious. Hackers might simply be a movie about technology that says very little about technology 25 years on, save for the fact that an interest in techno-futurism that was once subcultural is now a dominating force in everyday life. Or that technology becomes outmoded quickly, but when tethered to cultural iconographythe roller blades, the leather jackets, the asymmetrical punk haircuts all portrayed in a celebratory filmit becomes an art object worth feeling nostalgic over.
G/O Media may get a commission
However, would the kids of Hackers exist today, Im sure theyd all be found drinking soylent in Silicon Valley, and who wants to consider that reality? Instead, watching the movie so many years later, Im struck by the same details that drew me the first time I watched it: a comprehensive image of a well-developed world and the fascinating characters that live within it. Also, mesh tank tops and chain wallets. They still look cool as hell.
Continued here:
Hackers Is a Glorious Cyberpunk Classic That Might Actually Say Nothing About Technology - Jezebel
- Cyberpunk 2077 Soundtrack - Bullets by Archive - YouTube - December 8th, 2016 [December 8th, 2016]
- Cyberpunk - High Tech, Low Life. /r/Cyberpunk - reddit - December 28th, 2016 [December 28th, 2016]
- Niche Spotlight - Katana ZERO: A Murderously Stylish Cyberpunk ... - Niche Gamer - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Ghost In The Shell TV Spot Ramps Up The Cyberpunk Action, Full Trailer Arrives In Time For Valentine's Day - We Got This Covered - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Donald Trump is not the cyberpunk future - The Verge - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Ghost in the Shell's Super Bowl teaser promises plenty of cyberpunk action - The Verge - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Less surreal, more cyberpunk but Prey's first hour will get inside your head - VG247 - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- It's time for cyberpunk games to remember how to be punk - PC Gamer - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- 'Star Marine' Trailer Shows Version Of 'Cyberpunk 2077' Clip [Watch] - Mobile & Apps - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- The upcoming cyberpunk shooter Static Sky calls out for alpha and beta testers - Pocket Gamer - February 22nd, 2017 [February 22nd, 2017]
- 5 Cyberpunk Books to Read Before Watching 'Ghost in the Shell' - Inverse - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Trailer Remade In Star Citizen's FPS Component - SegmentNext - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Ruiner will bring gritty cyberpunk action to Xbox One and PC with Xbox Play Anywhere - Windows Central - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Here's What Could Be In CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077 - One Angry Gamer (blog) - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Raw Fury Games to Publish Cyberpunk Adventure The Last Night ... - Hardcore Gamer - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- These Glitchy New 'Ghost In The Shell' Motion Posters Introduce The Cyberpunk Cast - UPROXX - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Augmented Empire for Gear VR Is a Cyberpunk Gem - Tom's Guide - March 1st, 2017 [March 1st, 2017]
- Ghost in the Shell: Tumblr and Paramount sponsor cyberpunk ... - Netimperative - March 2nd, 2017 [March 2nd, 2017]
- The cyberpunk revolution begins with video games - Engadget - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Nicki Minaj Served A Cyberpunk Lil' Kim Look At Paris Fashion Week - NYLON - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk Hacking Game "Darknet" For PlayStation VR Arrives ... - COGconnected (press release) - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- Here's Why Cyberpunk 2077 Could Feature Gore And Nudity - One Angry Gamer (blog) - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk thriller Ruiner is here to smash you in the face - VG247 - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Digital love: why cinema can't get enough of cyberpunk - The Guardian (blog) - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- 'Ghost in the Shell' is more cyberposeur than cyberpunk - Engadget - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action on Steam - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Here's The Latest Rumors Regarding Cyberpunk 2077 And Its E3 Appearance - One Angry Gamer (blog) - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk Is Now Reality | The American Conservative - The American Conservative - June 7th, 2017 [June 7th, 2017]
- CD Projekt Red Reveals It's Being Blackmailed For Stolen 'Cyberpunk 2077' Files - Forbes - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- CD Projekt Red Defy Ransom Demands For Early Cyberpunk 2077 Design Docs - TheSixthAxis - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- CD Projekt RED's Cyberpunk 2077 game has been hacked by real cyberpunks - Metro - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- 'Cyberpunk 2077' Leaks: Hackers steal internal files from CD ... - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Hackers threaten CD Projekt Red with stolen Cyberpunk 2077 ... - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 - PC - IGN - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- CD Projekt Red: "Cyberpunk 2077" Files Are Being Ransomed - HardOCP - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Design Documents Being Held For Ransom, CD ... - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Witcher 3 developers won't bow to extortion for stolen Cyberpunk ... - Network World - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Designer of cyberpunk indie The Last Night speaks out as Twitter ... - Polygon - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- E3 2017: The Last Night revealed, shows off an incredibly stylized Cyberpunk world - GameZone - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- Watch some of mind-hacking cyberpunk horror Observer, from the devs behind Layers of Fear - PCGamesN - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- The Last Night was one of E3's most dazzling games and also its most frustrating - The Verge - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Snatcher Is Cyberpunk Noir At Its Best - Kotaku - Kotaku - June 17th, 2017 [June 17th, 2017]
- Snatcher Is Cyberpunk Noir At Its Best - Kotaku Australia - June 18th, 2017 [June 18th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk adventure 2064: Read Only Memories is coming to Switch - Eurogamer.net - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- The Devil Wears Prada Release Cyberpunk 'Worldwide' Video - Loudwire - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- 23 Best Cyberpunk Books - The Best Sci Fi Books - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- 'Cyberpunk 2077' release Date: The game is far bigger than 'The Witcher 3' - Blasting News - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Job Hiring Details Proprietary Level Design Through RedEngine 4 - One Angry Gamer (blog) - June 24th, 2017 [June 24th, 2017]
- Voice of Geralt from The Witcher Series Stars in Upcoming VR Cyberpunk RPG - Twinfinite - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Layers of Fear devs on psychological rape in their cyberpunk horror Observer - PCGamesN - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- The Last Jedi trailer gets a cyberpunk-as-hell remake - A.V. Club - June 29th, 2017 [June 29th, 2017]
- The Geniuses Behind Texhnolyze - Crunchyroll News - July 3rd, 2017 [July 3rd, 2017]
- Beat cyberpunk gangs to free turfs in Neon City Riders, now on Kickstarter - IND13 - July 8th, 2017 [July 8th, 2017]
- 'Deus Ex' Mods: GMDX 9.0 release brings the cyberpunk classic into ... - Mic - July 10th, 2017 [July 10th, 2017]
- Is Net Neutrality Cyberpunk? - Motherboard - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Making Cyberpunk: when Mike Pondsmith met CD Projekt Red - Eurogamer.net - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Mike Pondsmith Talks Creating Cyberpunk 2077 With CD Projekt Red - One Angry Gamer (blog) - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Will Have Journalist/Executive Classes, Mike ... - Wccftech - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- RoboCop at 30: how its cyberpunk vision of the future became a reality - iNews - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- CD Projekt RED will make Cyberpunk 2077 feel authentic - TweakTown - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 release date, trailer and news | TechRadar - TechRadar - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Cyberpunks creator on helping CD Projekt Red stay true to ... - July 15th, 2017 [July 15th, 2017]
- Void Star is a beautiful novel about connections in our cybernetic future - The Verge - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Classes Are Unconventional, Include Journalist, Executive - SegmentNext - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk Creator Gives His Own Thoughts On Cyberpunk 2077 ... - July 16th, 2017 [July 16th, 2017]
- Playable Classes In Cyberpunk 2077: Journalist And Executive - Gameranx (blog) - July 17th, 2017 [July 17th, 2017]
- Run your own evil megacorporation in Spinnortality, a dystopian strategy game - PC Gamer - July 18th, 2017 [July 18th, 2017]
- Competition: Watch The Jetwalls In Cyberpunk Motorcycle Game Qbike - VRFocus - July 20th, 2017 [July 20th, 2017]
- 'Cyberpunk 2077' Update: Different playable character classes - Blasting News - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 'Hidden Horror' Game Observer Releasing on August 15 for PC/XO/PS4 - Wccftech - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Layers of Fear Dev's Cyberpunk Horror Game Observer Launches ... - DualShockers - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Cyberpunk Innovators Outline Blackpills' Sci-Fi Lineup - Den of Geek US - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- 'Blade Runner 2049' brings cyberpunk LA to San Diego Comic-Con - CNET - July 21st, 2017 [July 21st, 2017]
- Fight Or Recruit Superpowered Street Gangs In Cyberpunk Action/Adventure Game Neon City Riders - Siliconera - July 22nd, 2017 [July 22nd, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 to Have Destructible Environments & Reactive Physics - COGconnected - July 26th, 2017 [July 26th, 2017]
- Rutger Hauer Stars as a Neural-Detective in New Cyberpunk Horror-Thriller Game Observer - Niche Gamer - July 27th, 2017 [July 27th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Might Feature Destructible Environments ... - SegmentNext - July 27th, 2017 [July 27th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 Dev Team Expansion Reveals Graphics To Be ... - One Angry Gamer (blog) - July 29th, 2017 [July 29th, 2017]
- Cyberpunk 2077 To Feature Photorealistic Environments ... - SegmentNext - July 29th, 2017 [July 29th, 2017]
- Observer's cyberpunk hallucinations are like being trapped in a Tool video - PC Gamer - July 29th, 2017 [July 29th, 2017]