I'm not a big fan of Cyberpunk or the author who work this was based on. Having said that, this isn't a horrible movie, but it could have been so much better. Some blame Keanu Reeves, but I like him much more in this than in the overrated Matrix films. Johnny is a carrier of info. His time and mental space are purchased, and he goes and has it downloaded wherever. Only something bad happens, his release key is lost and he has a certain amount of time to get it out of his head before it goes BOOM! A decent cast and an interesting story, just something is missing to make it great.

When I first heard of this film, I thought, "Oh, yeah. That'll tank." Just based on its title, people won't know whether it's a misprint or not. And, if they know that it's correct, then they probably won't be able to pronounce it in order to buy a ticket for it. Me? I just thought it was a bad choice for a title. Fastforward twenty years and I have finally gotten around to watching this film and . . . actually . . . it's NOT that bad. Of course, it's completely wrong about what the future world will look like. (It's set in 2021.) Yet, its view of the future is lushly told. Someone clearly went to a lot of trouble to make this dystopic world look real. Unfortunately, the storytelling is the problem. There's clearly so much more that could have been told in addition to the requisite running around, fighting, and shooting at people. While you can tell there's a "story" here, Robert Longo, the director, just doesn't tell it. This is too bad, because this movie actually tantalizes with details of relationships and other encounters that could have made it a classic sci-fi film in the vein of "Blade Runner." Oh, well. Possibilities. Would I watch it again? Probably not. Still, it wasn't a waste of time.

A data courier, literally carrying a data package inside his head, must deliver it before he dies from the burden or is killed by the Yakuza. Once i heard about this movie i couldn't wait to watch it i mean Keanu Reeves (The Matrix) and Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV) in the same movie? this should be amazing right? this should be great right? Not really because the film was boring and so dumb that i couldn't even finish the whole damn thing and once Lundgren showed up i was so devastated that i just skipped the whole thing i tried so hard to finish it but i couldn't it was really terrible probably one of the worst from the 90's to be honest.

In terms of creating the futuristic society of 2021, JOHNNY MNEMONIC is pretty good. A combination of complex sets, computer graphics, and some bizarrely-dressed extras make up a grungy and dirty universe of pollution, disease and violent death. Not exactly an original idea, but at least some of writer William Gibson's influence wears off and the film has a realistic setting for once. What a shame, then, that as a thriller, JOHNNY MNEMONIC is so flat. The interesting, original concept of data transference via the human brain is used only as an excuse for some flashy computer graphics - dated already in the seven years since the film first came out - and some techno-babble which sounds cool but has no meaning. Instead the film becomes a series of poorly put-together action sequences which are badly-edited and lacking in excitement. I never thought a film in which a guy wields and decapitates people with an electric whip would be boring, but it is, for the most part.The film has loads of characters and none of them are really developed, other than being "allies" or "enemies". There's some weak comic relief and some bad emoting and acting from Keanu Reeves but otherwise no attempt is made to examine the various characters or their motivations. Take Ice-T's man of mystery, for instance; what do we learn about this badly-dressed citizen of the future? Nothing, other than he's a resistance fighter or something like that. Of course one of the film's biggest flaws is in the central casting of Reeves as a desperate hero; this is at the opposite end of the movie quality spectrum from THE MATRIX and about a tenth as entertaining. Reeves is wooden, wooden, wooden, and quite pathetic at times. His supporting players don't help, either; seemingly a cast of well-established talents, from all areas of the field, were brought together for this movie and then utterly wasted in rubbish parts.Dina Meyer (STARSHIP TROOPERS) should be sassy, agile and sexy as the female sidekick, but she just appears dull and self-centred. Similarly Takeshi Kitano exudes menace and evilness just from his face alone but his villain is a weak, rather stupid man who gets betrayed by an obvious enemy. Even good old Udo Kier appears in a stupid comic/dramatic role as "Ralfi", but is again wasted in what amounts to little more than a cameo. That leaves Dolph Lundgren in one of his most bizarre turns as the 'Street Preacher' a hired killer who spends the latter half of the movie tracking Keanu Reeves down and attempting to kill him. After his villainous turn in UNIVERSAL SOLDIER (which made the film, as far as I'm concerned), it goes without saying that Lundgren can be menacing and nasty with the best of them, but he has little to do here, gets stupid dialogue, and isn't nasty enough. JOHNNY MNEMONIC is an often visually interesting film to watch but lacks excitement, intelligence or originality in it's oh-so-predictable chase thriller storyline.