Hackers (PG-13, 1995)

Super-hacker Dade Murphy, infamous for his creation of a destructive virus at age eleven, has just moved to New York City. A high school senior, Dade wins the respect of a group of teenage hackers and struggles to start a romance with sexy Kate (Angelina Jolie). When a member of the crowd hacks into a corporate computer system, Dade and his friends draw the attention of the FBI and of "Plague," a former hacker turned corporate security officer. Plague launches a virus designed to create oil spills and frame the kids while covering up his own multi-million dollar scam. The teens (with help from hackers everywhere) must dash to stop the virus, unmask Plague's villainy, and keep themselves out of jail.

This attempt at cyberpunk suspense never gets any traction. Leaden scriptwriting, expressionless acting, and a startling lack of suspense leave HACKERS less than thrilling. The plot trickles along at a snail's pace, and the actors seem to be competing to see who can speak in the slowest monotone. Plague may well be the most whiny supervillain in the history of film; neither he nor a hapless FBI agent (obviously a bad guy since he can't speak computer lingo fluently) provide any real sense of menace.

The romantic subplot is equally flat, with lots of long, supposed-to-be smoldering looks between Dade and Kate to make up for the lack of either chemistry or interesting dialogue. Attempts at coolness only look contrived, and the high-tech edge is considerably blunted by the passage of time. (What, no wireless?) Posturing, silly, and above all, dull.