Movies about hackers boomed in popularity towards the end of the 21st century. Ranging from cult classics such as The Matrix to OG hacker movies such as Sneakers or WarGames, these movies provided audiences with an inside look at the mysterious world of hacking.
Throughout the movie, Hathaway leads the series representing the rise of a fallen hero. Having the necessary skills, Hathaway may be the only person capable enough of stopping the dangerous motive behind these cyber attacks.
With that in mind, the details of this story play more into a Hollywood fantasy tale rather than a fictional reenactment of Mitnick's arrest. The reviews for this particular movie about hacking range widely with many calling it a poor portrayal of hacking and others referring to the exciting scenes throughout the film.
Much of WikiLeaks focused on releasing information stolen through anonymous sources, successful hacking attacks, or mistrusted users with too much access and a willingness to share information with the world.
This movie highlights much of the process after actual hacking takes place but the story does a nice job of relaying how it feels in the day-to-day trenches of individuals working closely with hackers.
While WikiLeaks remains ridden with controversy throughout its storied existence, many agree it presented the world with a strong counter-narrative to the mainstream by releasing classified documents. The downsides of this included disclosing private information of non-malicious actors which keeps WikiLeaks from being broadly praised today, among other reasons.
The film provides an in-depth overview of how Snowden, originally only known online as CitizenFour, contacted journalists to disclose the shocking discovery of mass surveillance by the American government.
Before the disclosure, Snowden worked as an infrastructure analyst for the National Threat Operations Center where he saw firsthand the alarming amount of data collection taking place by the US Government. Through this disturbing revelation of government overreach, Snowden decides to become a whistleblower and alert the masses.
While not originally a hit, Hackers released in 1995 slowly became a cult classic. The story follows a group of high school hackers as they navigate through an unintentional corporate extortion conspiracy.
The Matrix comes in as perhaps the most popular movie on the entire list. While it certainly captures mass public interest from around the world, the story only portrays hacking during a few of its scenes.
One example of this relates to how people can transport themselves in and out of the Matrix using a phone. This feels just too similar to old-school phreaking attacks that were commonplace in the early days of the internet.
NYPD officer John McClane battles terrorists who've hacked into Nakatomi Plaza's security on Christmas Eve. The film cleverly intertwines festive elements with tech-savvy villains, making it a thrilling watch that's both merry and intense. Amidst the holiday backdrop, "Die Hard" delivers action, wit, and a reminder that not all Christmas miracles are silent nights.
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