The Net

Starring Sandra Bullock, Jeremy Northam and Dennis Miller

Sandra Bullock stars as a computer expert without much else in her life. A mother with Alzheimer's and few colleagues on the internet take the place of any men or friends she might have otherwise fill her time with. When she meets a gorgeous stranger on vacation, her life seems to be heading in the right direction. But events will play out that prove that in the virtual world of power and greed, there's no room for a real romance.

This movie is filled with hacker nostalgia. Any computer geek, or as in my case, any wanna-be computer geek, will get a chuckle out of seeing the original Wolfenstein 3D played by Sandra Bullock.

The Net has a somewhat convoluted plot. It's like directions from point A to point B with far too many unnecessary turns in between when there is not reason not to form a straight line. It's like that quote from Clue, "Well, to make a long story short...Too late!"

The villain's motivation seems confused as well. He can't decide if he wants to kill Angela or spend the rest of his life with her. It's just ridiculous.

So, all early 90's computer nostalgia aside, I can't recommend The Net.

I really, really liked this movie when it came out. I think that if you've already seen it and enjoyed it, there's no option but to enjoy it again. However, if you haven't seen it already, it might be a little distracting to see a movie that is based on technology that seems so...old. I'm reminded of the Weird Al song, "All About the Pentiums" when he waxes poetic about how computers are obsolete before they leave the box. This was incredibly advanced when it was released, and now it just seems laughable. Of course, it raises awareness about identity theft. Timely, that!

Sorry! I like the movie as a whole. If you can move beyond some of the overly dramatic plot points and the idea of the exquisite Sandra Bullock as someone who doesn't know one person in the world, it's got some great laughs. Jeremy Northam does a beautiful job of being both metrosexual and menacing. I enjoy it still ~ a little suspense that goes a long way with truly pretty people.