This condenses every popular cliche about hacking into a neat package, most of which are somehow still used to this day (even despite _Mr Robot’s_ best attempts to show us that hacking doesn’t equal typing fast on a keyboard). It’s very dumb and schlocky, and while it’s aware of that, it’s too afraid to push to a point where it becomes campy fun. Despite being even more dated, _WarGames_ is a much better film than this. The problem is that it’s a schlocky 90s movie aimed at children, so it tries to aim for a tone that's mostly cool, edgy and a little angsty. This does the acting, dialogue, story and MTV editing style no favours, because that’s all way too lame and cheesy to take seriously. The only thing that’s genuinely well done about this movie is the music selection (the song for the credits excluded), it’s filled with 90s techno and breakbeat tracks that have all become classic songs, and they fit perfectly here. You might get some added pleasure out of the fact that aesthetically this is one of the most 90s movies in existence, but for every bit of outdated 90s technology that’s cute to look back on now, there are about 5 cringy fashion choices.

2/10

God, this movie is bad. And it's so much fun I can hardly stand it. Reasons why you should watch Hackers, in no particular order:

- A steaming 20-something Angelina Jolie,
- A bleach-blonde Jonny Lee Miller (hubba hubba),
- An ever awesome Matthew Lillard, who cranked his Lillardness up to 11,
- A duo of DJ/hackers named Razor and Blade (feel free to cry),
- An awesome and totally cliché GenX soundtrack,
- "It's 1995 so we have to make an Eddie Vedder reference" (and it's totally awesome),
- Fisher Stevens who acts out his entire part as if he's on steroids,
- Did I mention Angelina Jolie?

Does this movie have any basis in any realm of conceivable realism? Nope. Is this even what actual hacking looks like? Oh puh-lease! Is it everything you could wish for in an hour and a half of pleasurable suspension of disbelief? Absolutely.
Hackers is sexy and silly and every good kind of bad.
I gave you my recommendation. If you don't like this movie then there's nothing I can do about it.
_(February 2017)_

Outdated and more than a bit quirky, but a fun watch and a film that I honestly thought was hilarious.