Net Games

Now then folks, I enjoyed this film and have a feeling that it has never been available on a proper release in the U.K. I acquired an American import just recently and having watched it, cannot understand why it hasn't been available here. It is true to say that some of the reviews do speak very favourably and, in many instances, I can understand that. Granted, some of the acting is appalling.....particularly Lala Sloatman and Monique Demers. It is of no wonder that Ms Demers CV is not very long. However, I feel that the story, in the main, has been well thought out, with plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. Sure, the unveiling of the protagonist was a bit disappointing and the sudden transformation from meek housewife to Rambo was a bit over the top, but remember, this film was made in 2003 and if things like this could have happened on the internet then, just imagine who could be watching you now!! Anybody!! You could say that this film was a very big warning of things to come. C Thomas Howell is an extremely accomplished actor and turns in a pretty good performance, as does Sam Ball, and Maeve Quinlan is good fun as the detective. All in all, I thought this to be a good, watchable movie. A little over the top at times sure, but still pretty enjoyable.

A young married man with a wife who is a recent, traumatized rape victim, turns to a cyber-sex Internet site at the suggestion of a friend. He quickly gets ensnared into a conversation/sex session with Angel. Angel is a nut case. The wife, along with her therapist, goes to visit her rapist in prison to bring closure. The confrontation is brief and really pretty ridiculous. The wife returns home ready to hop into bed, having gotten over her post-traumatic stress by yelling some obscenities at the rapist. Meanwhile, our hero is being stalked by Angel after he tries to break off the relationship. She has called him at home, his office, sent pictures.

There is no explanation for who took the pictures; no explanation as to why this seemingly intelligent man would fall for this. He agrees to meet with Angel and finds a dead body. He and his friend Ray bury the body, assuming it is Angel. No explanation is given as to who might have killed her or why.

As a red herring, perhaps, the police detective in this case is blonde and attractive and looks remarkably like Angel. And so does the wife's therapist. The sex is monotonous and looks like they shot two or three scenes to be used over and over. Acting is okay. Production values okay. The plot is stupid. Ed Begley Jr, in a small part, must have been desperate for the money.

The movie opens with an Asian man and a hot blonde heavily into a mutually stimulating cyber session.

When said hot blonde lures the Asian guy to a local hotel for the consumation of their cyber session the tables get quickly turned.

While having the what looks like the greatest copulation of said Asian guys life the hot blonde pulls out a large carving knife and cuts said Asian guy long,deep, fast and frequently. He should have known better.

The movie then picks up with C. Thomas Howell as engaged guy whose finacee is saving it for their wedding night.

C. Thomas is next seen surfing the web and meeting said hot blonde for a cyber session and getting caught up in her web of sexual intrigue, danger and murder.

It just goes to show you, careful what you ask for...

If you're in the mood for a really bad porno with no good porn combined with a really bad horror movie, this movie is perfect for you. However, if you breathe air, make sure you spend your time watching anything but this. The acting is crappy. The "plot" is crappy. They try too hard, and the whole time I was waiting for the one good redeeming scene that might make the movie worth watching. Nope. Stick with the scrambled cable.

Going by quite a few different names Net Games is a cyber thriller crossed with a fatal attraction-esque plot.

It tells the story of a man whose sex life has gone off the rails after the rape of his wife. Unwilling to wait he turns to an online sex site and initially engages in little more than risque chat. But this is a movie so of course things escalate and before he knows it the mysterious girl on the other side of the screen has him by the short and curlys through a series of underhanded tactics and twisted games.

Starring b-movie legend C Thomas Howell, Star Treks own Marina Sirtis and a cameo appearance by Ed Begley Jr this thriller takes concepts froms everal other titles, blends them together and produces a rather trite little effort.

These movies immediatly suffers in my eyes due to the lack of a protagonist to care about. I'm sure plenty will argue that what he did was harmless but I personally disagree and question why I was supposed to be rooting for him and more importantly why yet another poor animal had to suffer for dumb "Heroes" sins.

I've seen much worse don't get me wrong, but the film is simply devoid of originality, you will predict everything coming and the rushed finale makes me question the writers place in the industry.

The Good:

Fairly well constructed

The Bad:

Weirdly uncomfortable viewing in places

Howell isn't leading man material

Begley was wasted

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

The movie makes cyber sex look a lot more exciting than it really is