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Johnny Mnemonic

Johnny Mnemonic

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Should Have Been Much Better
Review: This disappointing rendition of William Gibson's far-superior short story proves why a dedication to science fiction among all members of a production team is absolutely necessary. Those involved in the transition from the page to the screen failed to grasp that traditional storytelling techniques, such as balance of set-up and pay-off or the development of character motivation, are necessary to create the best possible picture. The movie is overly dependent on showy special effects and surprise twists to the exclusion of plausibility and a sense of place for all the actions. A cast of no-names trying to be multicultural in their own Euro-American way doesn't help -- Ice-T is not an actor, and the actors playing yakuza need to be reminded that having the eyes and speaking the language isn't all that makes a person truly Japanese. Keanu Reeves is interesting but not really worthwhile in what must have been basically a dry-run for his appearance in The Matrix, but Reeves is essentially an actor of type, and that type is not a high-gloss business powerhouse. An early scene in which Reeves' fling from the night before leaves the room on the pretext of fetching ice is consistent with audience reaction to this ill-considered turkey.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A cyberpunk movie
Review: The movie is adapted from a short story by William Gibson, a father of the modern outlook on cybertechnology which has given rise to "cyberpunk." This movie is an excellent port of that idea and Keanu Reeves was perfect for the lead role. It does have a good deal of action but not overdone, the plotline only demands a little leanency since it is a mostly "real" movie. No science-fiction movie has ever succeeded without a little stretch of the imagination and this only requires a small amount to be enjoyable.

It does have one or two small flaws, like all films. If it was a little bit longer a little more attention to one or two minor details could have been given, but the plot is fully and clearly laid out, there are a few twists, and a satisfying ending. In the end, the movie is about how degraded society can become without having concern for its inhabitants well-being. Its ending is a fresh beginning for the world, a second chance that we all seek, and our hero undergoes a spiritual transformation from a self-centered, money-grubbing courier to a decent human-being who realizes that there might be a way out for him and to save the technological world from collapse.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Gibson, the patron saint of Cyberpunk.
Review: When this movie was released, I heard several people question the quality of the picutre. Everything from Reeve's bad acting to the cheesey characters (i.e. Spider) were blamed and accused. One thing was never brought up, though: did Johnny Mnemonic live up to William Gibson's vision of a truly "Cyberpunk" world? The answer is a resounding YES.

The dark, urban, technological imagery throughout the movie is outstanding, only rivaled by Blade Runner. Gritty, dark, humanity co-existing with their machines, to the point where it's getting hard to tell them apart, that's what cyberpunk is about, and that's what Johnny Mnemonic portrays. From the corporations to the street vendors, from punk/anarchist gangs to the Yakuza, all elements of this dark future are touched upon, giving life to Gibson's works.

While the film strays drastically from the actual short story, which is in the Burning Chrome anthology, the theme and vision are still their, which is exactly how it should have been.

Now I can't wait for a movie to be made from Neuromancer.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's a sci-"FI" film.
Review: It is weird, yes. But that is the reason its SCI-FI. Note FI=FICTION. I liked it because it the technology presented is possible. Its kinda dumb that they would put such valuable data in his head but who the hell knows if they have UPS in the future. The story is better than the Matrix and more believable.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: weird weird weird
Review: This is a film that feels more like Anime than live action..a really dark vision of the future and full of whacky villains, this is not for everyone...only Sci-fi freaks/Keanu nuts need apply ! Keanu Reeves is perfect as Johnny and Ice T is great as an underground leader. I've seen this twice in theatrical release and at least 10 times on video, and find it gets more interesting with repeated viewing...but it's really a weird one !

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Johnny Mnemonic is a great Movie from a great short story!
Review: The movie has a different argument than the short story, but it's great too!

It's cyberpunk classic.

Long life and prosper to William Gibson.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: ALMOST AS BAD AS "EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES!"
Review: Keanu looked great. The opening scene with him in black silk boxers in a king-sized bed with black satin sheets was worth the rental price for me. But good looking actors and above average special effects don't make a bad movie into a good movie; there has to be a plot! The plot is completely unbelievable and boring. Why would anyone want to put "life saving, priceless information of any kind" into someone's brain to deliver it top secret? Kill the guy and that solves the problem! It would be easier and more effective to just save it on a disk and ship it UPS!

I give it one star for Keanu's and Dina Myer's performances (she is also great in Dragonheart with Dennis Quaid by the way!) and the other star is for the special effects.

A movie has to have an acceptable premise or it will flounder. Unfortunately, this movie did just that.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Countermeasures
Review: Despite a fantastic cast (Henry Rollins, Ice T, and Keanu Reeves, who is usually watchable if nothing else) this is an extremely poor translation of a William Gibson short story. It doesn't have much to do with the short story, and it doesn't have much to do with great cinema, either - it's an extremely dated retread of all those 'Mad Max'-esque post-apocalyptic videos from the mid-80's, tarted up with then-fashionable 'cyberpunk' imagery. Reeves does his 'innocent abroad' shtick, but whilst this worked well in 'The Matrix' he just seems wooden here. As for the rest of the film, it's hard to care about anything that happens, it looks on the verge of cheapness, the action isn't very exciting, and it's just not very good, that's all. The sudden appearance of Henry Rollins as a doctor enlivens things, and Ice T is always good, but they aren't good enough. It also has Dolph Lundgren, the z-list action star and professional 'whatever happened to...'.

If you really, really hate Ice-T, and want to be depressed, this makes a great double-bill with the similarly dismal 'Tank Girl'.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Keano at his best
Review: I thought this movie was wonderful but I think you have to be a Sci-Fi fanatic to really get into and enjoy this movie. This movies plot and character were just wonderful. I give it 5 stars :)

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "GIVE IT ITS DUE CREDIT, PUH-LEAZE!"
Review: Listen up - this is NOT a prequel or a prologue to "The Matrix", and it's a waste of time trying to compare the two. In my opinion only, I LIKED IT and that's fine.

As for "The Matrix", well, that's another review.


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