Simply Perfect

Don't Believe the Hype

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I was impressed with the modern gadgets.I think that the premise that in the future the internet will have to be policed is a compelling idea. The movie did lack character development in some areas, but the acting and action was well done. I also thought that Scott Bakula did a really wonderful job, as always.I have never read the Tom Clancy novel, 'Netforce', but perhaps that was for the best. Usually movies made using novels as the basis end up feeling like tin foil. Seeing this movie without having read the novel I felt the story was complete. The storyline was interesting and without holes.

This movie is actually pretty watchable if you are a bit technical and don't mind viewing a film to laugh at its inherent badness. The script repeatedly uses networking lingo out of context and demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding of networking principles. My favorite scene is when they're searching logs for traces of a computer break-in and the hero exclaims when no traces are found "There's not even a cookie?!?". I expect even a non-tech should be able to find a couple of laughs about the overwhelming lack of technical advisement. Some understanding of distributed attacks and viruses might have helped, but I guess the idea of two hackers trying to out type each other works better for Hollywood. The cinematography is low-average for a made for TV. I liked Judge Reinhold's acting, and Kris Kristofferson, Bakula I found to be often flat or alternately overacted. Conclusion: Don't rent it unless you're into bad movies, worth catching on Cable on a slow day.

One use comments, "I haven't read any of Tom Clancy's books and it is unlikely I will do so. Real life is more interesting!" No wonder he generally panned this made for TV movie.To really be able to appreciate movies based on Clancy's books, one has to: 1) be a Clancy fan; and 2) have read the book before seeing the film. I am a Clancy fan, first and a movie goer, second. So often, the movie fails to live up to the book. That is the case with this movie and was the case with another movie, "Flight of the Intruder," based on Stephen Coonts book of the same name.As it happens, this film could be a page from real life, albeit, a few years in the future. As a "techie" who spends 10-12 hours per day at a computer, I can identify with the characters in the book series and the film. As an American post 9/11/2001, I can also identify with what is going on in the United States regarding the Internet and security.NetForce will, I believe, become a reality before the end of the decade. An organization already exists that foreshadows it's existence. As of this writing, August 11, 2002, the proposed cabinet department of Homeland Security will probably include a department like NetForce.Technically, most of the equipment envisioned by Clancy in NetForce is available or on the near horizon. Moreover, the plot is not unfeasible in the near future, given someone with enough money, technical skill and ambition. Everyday, we see activity on the Internet demonstrating the ability of some people to hack major computer systems. I've always wondered, "What would happen if all of the best hackers in the world got together and had the resources to make a combined attack on the Internet?" At least Clancy has explored the idea with NetForce.In my humble opinion, we sometimes expect too much from movies. This is never more true that when a film looks at the near future. Frequently, by the time the film has been rerun a couple of times, we have reached the time frame of the film. In this instance, when we reach the time frame, 2005, most of the technology will be available, pretty much in the form described in the book and film. And, given the American mind set in 2002, an agency like NetForce could easily exist.As for the made for TV movie, I watch movies to be entertained, not educated. I expect producers and directors to take license with reality, especially with movies set in the future. While the film departs slightly from the book, this was a throughly entertaining film. I'd give it 7/10 stars.

I've read many Netforce books, and watchin the movie after reading them, gives the main characters more depth than portrayed in the movie.The plot has some weak points and sometimes it seems almost rediculous, but in all a very entertaining movie