Hackers - Limited Edition Steelbook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray [4K UHD]

Let’s get one thing straight: Hackers is not just a movie - it’s a neon-tinted prophecy wrapped in leather pants and techno beats. Watching it now is like opening a 1995 time capsule filled with floppy disks, rollerblades, and the misplaced optimism that computers made cool whooshing sounds every time you used them. (Spoiler: they didn’t. Still don't. I’ve tried.)Yes, the "hacking" in Hackers is about as realistic as using Microsoft Paint to defuse a nuclear bomb, but that’s beside the point. This film isn't meant to teach you network security - it's here to teach you how to feel. Feel the thrill of digital rebellion. Feel the power of wearing sunglasses indoors. Feel Angelina Jolie’s cheekbones defy every known firewall protocol. Fun fact: Jolie and co-star Jonny Lee Miller actually got married in real life, which adds a strange and wonderful little meta-layer to all the flirt-hacking happening on screen.When I was younger, I was convinced the kid playing young Dade was Rider Strong from Boy Meets World. It’s not, but honestly, I stand by the confusion - it only adds to the '90s magic.The plot? Delightfully absurd. The fashion? A cyberpunk fever dream that somehow makes mesh shirts and PVC seem like viable office attire. The soundtrack? So good it made my smart speaker spontaneously start quoting Zero Cool.I genuinely love this movie. It’s the kind of film you can rewatch with friends, quote endlessly ("Mess with the best, die like the rest!"), and feel a weird nostalgia for a future that never quite happened. Watch Hackers for the joy, stay for the wild techno roller disco, and remember: Hack the planet.

To all those complaining about the audio. Get over it. If you think there will ever be another HD release of this movie in our lifetime you are kidding yourselves. This is an excellent cult classic cyberpunk movie from 1995 with a small but enthusiastic fanbase who are mostly in their 30's and 40's now. We are not a target demographic except for nostalgia repping and Shout! factory is one of the few companies who cater to that audience with decent transfers. This is probably your last, best shot at a hard copy in HD.1. VideoThose points aside, the 'transfer' to HD is about what I would expect from the mid 90's era. There is a good amount of grain on the film but it may have been on the original master. It adds a little bit of flair in my opinion to the grittiness of the film and it is noticeable and makes the film feel more like a bootleg than an HD copy. That does not detract from the film in my opinion as it reminds me of the Troma Films blu ray transfers. The film is letterboxed to its original aspect ratio on a 16:9 TV.2. AudioIt is 2 speakers and that's it. I switched the playback to do a faux 5.1 on the receiver and it sounded similar to the DVD if not identical. It is possible that Shout! Factory's claim that the original master was DTS 2.0 and that the DVD was just using a fake 5.1 track is legit. The audio was clear enough and there was not any noticeable bleed through in either 2.0 or fake 5.1. Those who were expecting a remix of the audio are going to be upset and probably should steer clear.3. Special FeaturesThis is where the blu-ray really shines. Shout! Factory did an excellent job with the special features with a full length series of interviews that treat the film like the cult classic it is. They have wardrobe, visual effects, the Director and a few cast members. I thought this was going to be some 20 minute throwaway to push blu rays but it was an adult, serious take on the process of creating Hackers, the soundtrack, how the movie has influenced culture and the culture has influenced the movie, what real hacking was like during that era (2600 mag interviews), discussions about each of the other cast members, etc. I was really impressed with the production quality, depth and length of this feature. It was interesting and refreshing to hear a serious talk about one of my favorite films from those who participated in it.Bonus:The cover art can be flipped to have the original theatrical movie poster instead of the one shown in the screenshot. Much better IMHO and a nice surprise for those of us who didn't care for the change.Overall, normally I wait for blu-ray releases to drop in price to around $10 and this movie probably would not have been an exception but it's one of my favorite movies and I would not be surprised if this is a more limited release. If you are looking for a HD remaster or Criterion Collection style treatment like this was some sort of American classic you will need to wait (probably forever) but if you want an HD version of your favorite film with an excellent feature length special feature this is your ticket. Let's be honest, you are only reading this review because you already love the movie. Me too.

Love this movie! Case looks good, disc plays good and did disc things.

I just received Hackers on Blu-ray only to find it lacks the 5.1 audio track that the DVD has. To make it more confusing the outside of the blu-ray states DTS-HD MA 2.0 while the inside of the cover states DTS-HD MA 5.1. I quickly checked the disc and there is only 1 audio track, DTS-HD MA 2.0. This feels like a downgrade! I also feel like I got ripped off! I will update this review after watching the BD and hopefully the video quality makes up for the lost channels in audio.Update(8/20/15): Changed 1 to 5 stars. Just watched the entire movie and special features to include the trailer. As it turns out, the film was never released in theaters with more than stereo sound (DTS stereo is in the trailer). Now onto the Blu-ray quality.Audio: My initial concerns about the 2.0 soundtrack were rightly placed. I must say that some of the surround effects that I remembered from the DVD release are gone, such as the plane flying from rear to front channels in the opening scenes when Dade flies to NY. However, the audio is crystal clear and depending on the receiver and sound field selected, can result in nice surround sound. On my Denon with Polk speaker 7.1, it sounded great lots of audio from all speakers. On my larger Onkyo and Klipsch 5.1 system, the surround effects were mostly gone, but even lacking DTSHD support, the sound was superb. All the oddities from the DVD audio were there, such as when Kate switches to a british based accent while Dade is checking out her laptop. There did lack the sub track, which would have been nice given the soundtrack, but with larger speakers it wasn't as bad. Overall, now that I know the original film lacked a 5.1 soundtrack, I am pleased with the audio.Video: This is a 1080p transfer. The quality is up there with many other older movies transferred to Blu-ray. That is to say, it looked great. There are many scenes that I remember the DVD version looking flat or washed out and they are still there in the BD release. At least the resolution and clarity are greatly improved over the DVD.Overall: If you are a fan of the movie, buy the Blu-ray!Comments about the movie itself: Many say it is cheesy. I guess they are referring to the skateboarding computer security officer and his plot line or the graphics of what the movie computers look like. If that is the case, then yes the movie is cheesy... but... So many of the scenes are truer to life in the 90s than some might realize. Many aspects of this movie were spot on in the 90s and still still accurate today. In some cases, this movie predicted the future. Just buy, you'll love it.