- Joined
- Jul 3, 1997
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- Real Name
- Ronald Epstein
The Net
Angela is having an identity crisis...literally!
Whenever a studio re-releases a title that has
already been released to DVD, but this time touting
it as a "Special Edition", I want to see if there
is truly a reason for spending the money on a
repurchase. Most people repurchase thinking the
transfer is going to be better than the old. After
all, it's not uncommon for the studios to take
the same transfer and wrap it up in a new package
with added material that may or may not warrant
the repurchase.
Not ever having owned the DVD release of The Net,
I had to do some research and find out a little
more about the original DVD release.
Basically I found that the DVD was released in
1997, was enhanced for widescreen, and contained
little or no extras.
So, basically, it *seems* that Columbia is
perhaps doing a little more justice to this
release with a Special Edition that touts a
brand new anamorphic transfer and a few extras
to boot. But is this new transfer something to
get excited about? More on that in a moment.
Let me first talk about the film.
Angela Bennett (Sandra Bullock) is a software
engineer. She lives alone and doesn't have many
friends or contacts. Her only activity outside
of her home is visiting her Mother.
This is just a regular evening for Angela as
she calls in to her company's contact about
bugs in a piece of computer software that she
is beta-testing. Her phone contact informs her
that he has accidently stumbled on a weird glitch
that he needs her to debug. He leaves that night
to meet her, only to die in a mysterious plane
crash.
Angela soon discovers that what her contact
has stumbled on is top secret information belonging
to a group of cyber criminals that will stop at
nothing to get it back. What's worse, is that these
cyber criminals have totally erased her life,
replacing her records with that of a known felon.
With the police chasing her, and cyber criminals
wanting to end her life, Angela must find out
why everything is happening to her and who is
responsible for it.
This is a sensational cat-and-mouse game that's
perfect for cyber geeks like us! Released in 1995
right as the internet was becoming commercially
available, the film explores the real dangers of
cyber criminals stealing personal identities.
How is the transfer?
The reason I brought so much attention to this
Special Edition at the top of my review, is
because Columbia is touting this new release
as a "new 16x9 widescreen high definition transfer".
After reading a claim like that, one would think
that the DVD is going to look pristine.
Presented in a (1.85:1) ratio, I was a bit
disappointed in picture quality. Not that the
transfer doesn't look good -- it does! The problem
is that I had thought it would and should look
better.
Picture quality remains very clear, though a bit
warm. What bothered me most was the evidence of
video noise that could be seen in the film's
darker sequences. I could see it in everything
from a closed door to a fire alarm sitting on the
wall. It's just an ever-irritating presence of slight
fuzziness that your eye catches.
While the transfer is fine, I just can't say
that this high definition transfer has resulted
in anything superior that I have seen other studios
put out.
The 5.1 Dolby Surround mix is very pleasing
from Mark Isham's subtle opening score with
piano notes rising above violins to the noisy
enveloping sounds of an amusement park with low
LFE rumblings of a turning Ferris Wheel. I was
very pleased that the surrounds were effectively
used, without being excessively overused.
Special Features
When you pop in the disc, you'll find yourself
amused by the animated menu that features Sandra
Bullock clicking her mouse and being stunned by
a wealth of secret information being exposed
before her eyes. The menu becomes a computer
screen with cartoon icons located on the right.
These icons are labeled "CYBERBOB", "ICEMAN" and
"GATEKEEPER". As you move your remote arrow over
each icon, the hidden choices of "PLAY MOVIE",
"AUDIO SETUP" and "SPECIAL FEATURES" are revealed.
I must admit, it is a very clever menu.
The DVD contains two audio commentaries. The
first is with writers John Brancato and Mike Ferris.
The other commentary features Producer Rob Cowan
and Director Irwin Winkler.
Producer Rob Cowan and writer Michael Ferris
tell us how the movie started as a completely
different idea in the featurette, The Net:
From script to screen. Initially, it was to
be a film about stolen identity. However,
recent newspaper stories about computers and
people being "watched" turned the film into an
entirely new entity. This is a terrific look
at a bunch of writers who talk about how their
initial ideas and goals to make a conspiracy movie
reminiscent of those released in the 70's, turned
into something else -- even humanizing a villain
that was intended to initially be faceless. This
19-minute documentary is a total dissection of the
movie from paper to screenings where the Director
played around with how much material he could keep
adding without weighing the film down.
Also included is the HBO SPECIAL: Inside The
Net, another one of those famous promo
pieces that gives a generalized overview of the
film. Sandra Bullock, back in 1995, talks about
the prospects of people losing their social lives
to their computers. She predicts that in 10 years
every household will have a computer and nobody
will have to leave their home to communicate.
Smart girl. She talks about how much freedom
the internet allows you to express yourself, and
how much the computer can make you feel isolated.
We are taken on the set with Bullock and Director
Irwin Winkler. We also get some input from fellow
cast mates Jeremy Northam and Dennis Miller. Near
the end of this 20-minute special, Bullock remarks,
"It was fun. I feel like I took a whole computer
class in three months"
In addition to the film's original trailer,
there are two additional trailers: 28 Days
and The Thirteenth Floor.
There is also a Filmography included for
the film's three major stars and Director Irwin
Winkler.
Final Thoughts
It's interesting that when I first saw The Net
in 1995, most of the internet technology and ideas
that the film portrayed seemed a bit far-fetched.
Now seven years later, technology has vastly improved
and the notion of hackers stealing identities
doesn't seem so unlikely.
The Net is a terrific thriller that all
of us can easily relate to. Plus the fact that
it stars the beautifully sexy Sandra Bullock is
worth the purchase price alone.
Add this to your collection.
Release Date: April 2, 2002
I had no idea there was an SE of The Net, but now it's definitely on my list. Sandra Bullock.... *insert Homer Simpson's drooling mug*
