Search - Johnny Mnemonic [Superbit] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Questionable for Children, Profanity Movie Release: 1995 DVD Release: 10/09/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, Korean, Spanish, Thai SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 38 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Total Copies: 1 Genres: Action, Science Fiction, Sci-Fi Action See Also: Johnny Mnemonic

In a near-future world in which the fast-paced digital lifestyle has given rise to a worldwide plague called Nerve Attenuation Syndrome, Johnny (Keanu Reeves), a data courier, accepts an assignment that he hopes will allow him to pay for the restoration of the childhood memories he dumped in order to outfit his brain with the microchip necessary for him to carry out his profession. Narrowly escaping a Yakuza ambush in which his employers are killed and the mnemonic trigger capable of unlocking the data in his brain is partially destroyed, Johnny travels from Beijing to New Jersey, where he hopes to recover the data before "neural seepage" destroys his mind. Teaming up with would-be bodyguard Jane (Dina Meyer) and a rebel group known as the LoTeks who live in an abandoned bridge, he tries to outrun the assassins of mysterious businessman Takahashi (Beat Takeshi Kitano) -- and the Street Preacher (Dolph Lundgren), a bionic madman. Along the way, he meets a mysterious electronic entity, a sentient dolphin, and Spider (Henry Rollins), a cybernetics expert, all of whom attempt, with various degrees of success, to learn why the data in Johnny's head is so important. Science fiction author William Gibson's original short story -Johnny Mnemonic helped usher in the age of cyberpunk when it appeared in Omni magazine in 1981; it later appeared in the collection -Burning Chrome (alongside the story that provided the basis for Abel Ferrara's New Rose Hotel). Although Gibson himself wrote the screenplay for Johnny Mnemonic, the film diverges considerably from the story. Molly Mirrors, a recurring character in Gibson's fiction, was replaced by the figure of Jane to fend off licensing conflicts with any future film version of -Neuromancer, the author's most celebrated novel. Other plot elements -- most notably the LoTeks' bridge habitat -- were borrowed from later Gibson fiction such as the novel -Virtual Light. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Keanu Reeves - Johnny Mnemonic
Dolph Lundgren - Street Preacher
Beat Takeshi Kitano - Takahashi
Ice-T - J-Bone
Dina Meyer
Henry Rollins - Spider

Based on a short story by the extremely influential science fiction writer William Gibson (who also wrote the screenplay), Johnny Mnemonic has never been well regarded by fans of Gibson or science fiction fans in general. As directed by painter-turned-filmmaker Robert Longo, the film never really captured the cyberpunk world in look or feel, that say, Blade Runner or The Matrix mastered. Nevertheless, Columbia-TriStar Home Entertainment's disc of the film, as part of their Superbit line of high-resolution DVDs, looks and sounds fantastic. Like other Superbit titles, there are no extras included. But the low-end price for such a high-end disc surely makes up for that. The disc is offered in its proper aspect ratio of 1.85:1 (anamorphically enhanced for widescreen TVs) and has been equipped for both Dolby Digital 5.1 sound and DTS. The picture is sharp and dynamic, with colors properly balanced throughout. The soundtrack is incredible and should really give your audio system a nice workout. Multiple foreign language subtitles have also been supplied, as well as chapter selections. ~ Derek Hill, All Movie Guide