Angela Bennett (Sandra Bullock) exists in her own cyber-community. When she’s hungry, she orders pizza online. When she’s feeling cramped, she books a vacation (flights, hotels, etc.) through the computer. And when she’s lonely, she burns hours in chat rooms, conversing with folks she thinks she knows, despite having never met them face-to-face.
Trouble begins when one of Angela’s chat room denizens pulls her deep into a web (pun intended) of intrigue because of information she receives on a disc from a friend who’s immediately executed. Fearing for her life, Angela runs, but begins to realize that every facet of her life – from her bank account to her passports to her own identity – is tied to the Internet, and therefore at the mercy of her tech-savvy predators.Convoluted thriller makes light of our utter reliance on technology (just think how far we‘ve come since then!), but pushes the envelope a bit too far when the characters become far too dependent on computers and ignore the need for human interaction. While the story is pedestrian in terms of technological thrillers, “”The Net”” does say something of a person’s ability to hide under the Internet’s security blanket – though Bennett works with many, she’s identifiable by few – and avoid reality. Maybe it’s time we all just logged off and shook a friend‘s hand, huh?Grade: C-THE EXTRASWhen contemplating Sandra Bullock’s hits, and their have been plenty, I have to wonder if I’d have chosen “The Net” for a special edition treatment. Probably not (where’s “Speed”?), but that doesn’t prevent CTHE from dressing up this thriller for mass consumption. And just in time for “Murder By Numbers,” too … very convenient.Still, the movie had fans, and the DVD will, too. For starters, the film boasts a clean anamorphic widescreen transfer, and a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital audio track, which clean up the ’95 film for a modern screening. Director Irwin Winkler (“Life As a House”) and producer Rob Cowan sit down for the first of two commentary tracks, while screenwriters Michael Ferris and John Brancato contribute to the second. If pressed for time, test drive the screenwriters’ track, which proves far more insightful as to what messages the film wanted to convey, and the different lengths it went to in saying them. For ’95, “The Net” was ahead of its time, in more ways than one.Next up, we have various “behind the scenes” featurettes, one from HBO (“Inside The Net”), and one entitled “From Script to Screen” which features a number of interviews about the process of greenlighting “The Net,” filming, and editing. “Script” is informative and fun, while the HBO piece just reeks of studio self-promotion (to be expected on most DVD releases to date).The disc culminates with trailers and filmographies, standard fare.Grade: B-OVERALL EXPERIENCE: C+An overall vanilla feeling from an overall vanilla movie. “The Net” wasn’t nearly that thrilling, and its companion DVD takes few risks. Purchase at your own risk.By Sean O’ConnellApril 15, 2002