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Parents' Guide to

The Net

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

'90s mystery-thriller is still relevant; violence, language.

Movie PG-13 1995 114 minutes
The Net Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 3 parent reviews

doctora
doctora Parent of 5-year-old
June 17, 2022
age 13+

Lands differently in 2022 than in 1996

I saw this film for the first time when it was first released on video and someone had borrowed it from a Blockbuster and we all sat around to watch it at a friend's apartment on campus (cuz that's how you watched films that you missed during their first run). I do not remember it being great, but I do remember it being entertaining. Recently re-watched it and it lands differently than it did in 1996. Mostly because Winkler's story makes a lot more sense in 2022, a little too much sense. The film is still not that great, especially the tone, the pacing and how some characters are written but Bullock and Northam do their best with their character arcs and they do an admirable job.
Andyopolis
Andyopolis Adult
August 13, 2021
age 12+

Average 90’s Mystery Movie

There’s not much violence and when someone’s shot, it’s not on-screen. It’s implied 2 people had sex but is not shown at all. There is a weird moment that depicts smoking cigarettes as adventurous, but other than that, this is just a soft thriller that’s full of cute 90’s outfits and funny technology throw-backs. Any 13+ year old can handle this film.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE NET, Angela Bennett (Sandra Bullock) is a Los Angeles computer expert who works remotely for a San Francisco software firm debugging computers. Her few friends are online. Her boss has never seen her. The virus expert at work has never met her, either. Her mother (Diane Baker) lives at a facility for advanced Alzheimer's care and wouldn't know Angela from a nurse. The virus expert friend wants to talk IRL (in real life) to discuss a disturbing program he's found that seems to be hacking into government, banking, hospital, and other systems through a supposed cybersecurity program. Before they can meet, that friend is killed in a mysterious plane crash. Angela blithely proceeds with her Mexican vacation, but doesn't put two and two together until Jack (Jeremy Northam), a handsome stranger she meets on the beach, proves to be a murderous agent of the hacker. Her identity is not only erased through DMV, Social Security, and other records, but Angela, fingerprints and all, is given a new name and a rap sheet that includes prostitution and drug crimes, putting her on law enforcement's radar. Another hacker in on the scheme has taken over her identity at work and put her house up for sale. Angela sneaks into her old firm's system and discovers the plot and its perpetrators. Although still being chased by killers, she manages to sabotage the saboteurs and restore her identity.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (3 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

The Net is an efficient, high-anxiety thriller about people who generally sit at their desks and peck at keyboards -- but who in this case run around evading pistol-packing cyberterrorists. For maximum enjoyment, viewers would do best to give in to the Hollywood glitz and suspend disbelief regarding the massive conspiracy. The filmmakers had a persuasive point to make about the outsized role computers were playing in our lives, so we can forgive the fact that back in 1995 most internet access was gained by agonizingly slow dial-up modem, complete with screechy dial tones, dropped connections, and halting downloads. To keep up with the movie's racing pulse, on-screen doings nevertheless happen remarkably fast here. Plus, it's unclear why the big bad hackers, employees of an evil software mogul, are after Angela. Why do they need a disc containing their own virus? And why, even after she tells them the disc in question was destroyed, do they continue to pursue her? Never mind, it's part of the Hitchcockian randomness and mistaken identity at the heart of this. (Note that as in Hitchcock's Notorious, a handkerchief is used cleverly.)

That said, Bullock brings her low-key, natural believability to a role that requires we accept her as a shy, isolated loner who is also a fiercely determined warrior. Northam's portfolio as sleek killer is less nuanced but equally well executed. Using music and canny editing, director Irwin Winkler deftly renders numbers flashing on a screen into the heart-racing equivalent of a digital car chase.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the importance of online safety. What are some good ways to protect yourself on the internet?

  • How do you handle the fact that you don't always know the real identity of people you meet online?

  • Do you think the convenience of the internet makes up for the danger it poses in people's lives? Do you worry that cell phones and credit cards make you easily trackable? Do you feel that information you receive online is reliable? How do you verify your sources?

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