Hackers (1995)
64%RT Audience Score: 68%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Hackers has a certain stylish appeal, but its slick visuals and appealing young cast can’t compensate for a clichéd and disappointingly uninspired story
Hackers may not be the most realistic movie about computer hacking, but it’s definitely a wild ride. The plot may be thin, but the visuals and music make up for it. Plus, who doesn’t love a good cyber-showdown? It’s like watching a rock video, but with more typing. Sure, it’s cheesy and over-the-top, but that’s what makes it so much fun. So grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride. Just don’t try any of this at home, kids.
Production Company(ies)
First Thought Films,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Buckinghamshire, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and brief strong language
Year of Release
1995
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS-Stereo DTS
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Russian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 15, 1995 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 24, 2001
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie, Jesse Bradford, Matthew Lillard, Laurence Mason, Renoly Santiago, Fisher Stevens, directed by Iain Softley, written by Rafael Moreu, produced by Michael Peyser, Ralph Winter, drama, PG-13, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Steven Rea, Jay Boyar, Michael Wilmington, Bruce Diones, Owen Gleiberman, Caroline Westbrook, Mal Vincent, Ryan Pollard, Matt Brunson, Austin Trunick, Dustin Putman, hacker, cybercrime, computer, technology, thriller, high school, terrorist attack, young cast, stylish visuals, clichéd story, uninspired, banned from touching a keyboard, Wall Street computers, monitor, framed, theft, major corporation, master hacker, Zero Cool, Crash Override, Acid Burn, Emmanuel Goldstein, Cereal Killer, Lord Nikon, Phantom Phreak, cyber-showdown, typing, soundtrack, 1990s, cult classic, cheesy, audience-friendly
Worldwide gross: $7,563,728
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $14,873,011
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,819
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,621,921
US/Canada gross: $7,563,728
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $14,873,011
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,498
US/Canada opening weekend: $3,173,101
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $6,239,458
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,058
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $20,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $39,327,197
Production budget ranking: 973
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $21,177,696
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$45,631,882
ROI to date (est.): -75%
ROI ranking: 1,847
Angelina Jolie – Kate Libby, “Acid Burn”
Jesse Bradford – Joey Pardella
Matthew Lillard – Emmanuel Goldstein, “Cereal Killer”
Laurence Mason – Paul Cook, “Lord Nikon”
Renoly Santiago – Ramon Sanchez, “Phantom Phreak”
Director – Iain Softley
Producer – Michael Peyser, Ralph Winter
Writer – Rafael Moreu
Director(s)
Iain Softley
Writer(s)
Rafael Moreu
Producer(s)
Michael Peyser, Ralph Winter
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (45) | Top Critics (18) | Fresh (14) | Rotten (31)
Hackers isn’t a very good movie, but it’s a darn sight more fun than The Net.
May 3, 2013 | Rating: 2.5/4
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
TOP CRITIC
After the mechanics of the thriller plot start to kick in, the film drags. And when it’s time for the big cyber-showdown, we’re stuck, once again, with footage of frantic typing.
May 3, 2013
Jay Boyar
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
This is a movie that sums up the worst of the computer era: zapping you with techno-cliches and trapping you in constant visual crash and burn.
May 3, 2013 | Rating: 1.5/4
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
The story is negligible, but it offers the same order of fun as a good rock video: the marriage of images and music.
May 3, 2013
Bruce Diones
New Yorker
TOP CRITIC
What’s most grating about Hackers, however, is the guileless way the movie buys in to the computer-kid-as-elite-rebel mystique currently being peddled by magazines like Wired.
September 7, 2011 | Rating: D
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
A plot thinner than an LCD monitor doesn’t prevent the bombastic fun, and the young cast help it hurtle along.
January 14, 2011 | Rating: 3/5
Caroline Westbrook
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
When you look beyond all the visuals, it’s pretty dull.
March 1, 2022 | Rating: 1.5/4
Mal Vincent
The Virginian-Pilot
One may criticise Hackers for being unreal, ridiculous or just too cheesy, but it stands as one of the most underrated gems to have come out of the 1990s. The performances are vibrant, the storytelling is kinetic and the visuals are something to behold.
December 10, 2018
Ryan Pollard
Starburst
Cutting-edge ideas can’t quite compensate for a banal storyline.
August 25, 2015 | Rating: 2.5/4
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing
Rarely do movies try-and fail-as hard to be cool as Hackers.
August 21, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/10
Austin Trunick
Under the Radar
An onslaught of lame plotting, dopey writing and cornball histrionics.
August 17, 2015 | Rating: 1.5/4
Dustin Putman
TheBluFile.com
The real crime of cyberpunks is that they have encouraged Hollywood to make several bad movies aimed at exploiting this new lifestyle niche.
May 3, 2013 | Rating: 2/4
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News…
Plot
A young boy is arrested by the U.S. Secret Service for writing a computer virus and is banned from using a computer until his 18th birthday. Years later, he and his new-found friends discover a plot to unleash a dangerous computer virus, 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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The film features early performances from now-famous actors Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie.
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