Talking Tribeca: Jackrabbit

I’ve had the pleasure this year of screening a number of selections from this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which takes place April 15th-26th.

Jackrabbit
Directed by Carleton Ranney
Festival Screenings

There’s a certain air of exciting technological mystery that deal with futuristic hackers in an old-fashioned landscape. This Tribeca entry from debut director Carleton Ranney is far from “The Matrix,” unfortunately, weaving a complex story together with many unknown pieces but not ending up anywhere nearly as interesting as it initially seems that it could. The concept of a large event that forced the world to reboot technologically is interesting, but it’s not too easy to jump aboard the gritty quest undertaken by a hacker and a computer genius to figure out what’s really going on in this post-modern world. This film’s mix of grungy scenery and a faded, dated look doesn’t achieve the effects that it wants to, and this film, which starts off at a compelling point, doesn’t manage to get back there over the course of the film.

See it or skip it? Unless it’s a particularly appealing topic, it shouldn’t be at the top of your list.