The Net | Virtuosity
The Net
Sandra Bullock costars with the Internet
1 2 3 4 5
Review by Kathie Huddleston
t's safe to say there's never been a movie where the Internet had a bigger role. And what better venue could there be for the Net than a Hitchcock thriller with Sandra Bullock in the lead?
Angela Bennett (Bullock) is a computer whiz who can debug the nastiest virus in a blink but who can't seem to face another human in person. Her only outside contact is her computer. Then a computer friend sends her a disk with something unusual on it, and she agrees to meet him -- only to find he has been killed in a plane crash.
Angela heads off on a planned vacation in Mexico and has a romance with a charming Englishman (Northam). He has a surprise or two in store for her, though, and the conspiracy begins to unfold. Because Angela has seen the disk, she's become the prime target of mysterious cyber bad guys. Suddenly Angela finds herself running from both the cops and the bad guys, who have switched her identity to that of a criminal. At stake is not only Angela's life, but control of the information in every computer linked to the Internet.
The Net wants to be a cautionary tale about computers and the power they wield. Rather, it works much better as a thriller with the likable Bullock. She's an actress whose in the process of defining her own territory playing smart women characters. Precisely because her Angela Bennett is so pretty, sweet and bright, it's impossible to believe The Net's initial premise -- Bennett is supposed to be a recluse who doesn't know anyone that can vouch for her when her identity is taken away, except a mother with Alzheimer's who doesn't remember her and her ex-psychiatrist (Dennis Miller).
Once you get past that and the movie's standard action stuff, it's easy to get caught up with this film. Bullock is engaging, Northam is a pretty good nasty and Miller does a nice turn as Angela's skeptical ex-shrink. The most prominent presence, besides the two leads, is the Internet itself. It's truly a science fictional performance, though, as connections are established instantly and computer functions are performed at the speed of light. Bullock and the Internet have the best chemistry of the film.
Quite simply, if you're a fan of Bullock or the Internet, you'll like this movie. -- Kathie
ack to the top.
Virtual Reality offers an old story with a new twist
1 2 3 4 5
Review by K.H.
t's not like we haven't been there before, especially lately. It's a few years in the future, and an ex-cop is sprung from jail to track down a killer.
Parker Barnes (Washington) is doing time for accidentally killing two people after his family is murdered and acting as a human guinea pig for a new virtual reality technology that may be used as a training ground for future police officers. Sid 6.7 (Crowe), the ultimate computer bad guy, has been created to challenge the cops in VR. He's been programmed with the personalities of more than 200 serial killers, including John Wayne Gacy and the fellow who just happened to have killed Barnes' wife and child.
Sid ingeniously escapes into the real world using a new microcomputer technology to take human form, the chase is on as he begins to do what comes naturally -- killing many and killing often. Barnes, of course, is the only man who can possibly hunt him down. He's sprung out of jail with psychiatrist Madison Carter (Kelly Lynch) in tow. From then on it's a roller coaster ride as Barnes tries to stop Sid and Sid realizes the game just won't be much fun without Barnes.
The story has been done many times before -- burnt out cop or ex-cop is pitted against a brilliant and really evil bad guy. Virtuosity is filled with cliches and holes, such as the hero jumping on the bad guy's car and no explanation when Barnes is instantly sprung from jail. The biggest annoyance is that the cops spend more time trying to kill the good guy than they do the bad guy. However, Virtuosity's biggest saving grace is that it's fun -- there are a lot of nice touches, such as when Sid rescues Barnes from police custody and when Sid conducts a symphony of his victims screams.
Ultimately Virtuosity succeeds mainly because of its leads. Russell is terrific as Sid -- he's the actor who made Sharon Stone sweat in The Quick and The Dead -- and he literally chews up the scenery (he can regenerate by eating or touching glass). He makes a great villain and seems to be having a blast in the role. His Sid 6.7 has no constraints in his new real world...it's all a game to him, and Barnes is his perfect adversary. As Barnes, Washington probably does the cop-with-edge role better than most.
Take Virtuosity for what it is, cotton candy. It's good while you're watching, but there's not much substance. -- K.H.
ack to the top.
Story By |
Off the Shelf |
News of the Week
Games |
Random Media |
In the Web |
Home
Copyright 1995, Science Fiction Weekly. Maintained by 70334.2433@compuserve.com