PLOT: Kyle and his friends hack for fun, pranking online scammers. Seeking a bigger thrill, they target billionaire Don Heard through his daughter Lindsey’s social media, stealing his cryptocurrency.
REVIEW: After 2025’s War of the Worlds, it became much harder to defend the ScreenLife genre of films. It was such a colossal failure that it sullied any film like it. But even then, I still find myself intrigued by the format (taking place entirely on screens, for the uninitiated), especially a film following hackers, which feels ripe for it. But can LifeHack overcome the reputation and still provide an entertaining movie?
LifeHack follows a group of young adult hackers as they decide to go after an eccentric billionaire’s Crypto wallet. They’re young and brash and end up biting off more than they can chew, falling further and further down the criminal rabbit hole. It’s a fun premise and can be fairly predictable at times. But it’s all about how it’s executed that sets it apart from other films like it. The story moves forward, with some very impressive editing and a frantic pace.
Wednesday‘s Georgie Farmer leads the cast, with Yasmin Finney, Roman Hayeck-Green, and James Scholz filling out the supporting roles. Every single one of these characters feels fully formed and natural. They’re all likable to varying degrees, even when making some dumb decisions. These feel like genuine friendships, which makes it even easier to invest in their journey. As someone who lost hundreds of hours to the video game Rust, it was cool to see the game get a good amount of screen time in the film, serving as the primary bonding method for these online friends.
LifeHack is the prime example of how to make a Screenlife film and build tension believably. They never break the reality of the situation, stay true to the gimmick, and keep things exciting. Not an easy task, yet it’s pulled off extremely well. I kept expecting some absurd plot development to pull me out of the reality of the situation, but it never went overboard. It also avoids going too dark, while still skirting the line. It’s also very clear that billionaire Don Heard is meant to be Elon Musk, so there are some fun jokes made at his expense.
It’s hard to tell a story through someone’s screen and actually make it believable, but it helps that we’re following young hackers. They clearly live online, so it makes sense that they’d hardly ever leave their computer. There’s always a moment in these types of movies where they betray the central concept to show a specific scene, yet this never sinks to that level. There’s enough confidence that what we’re seeing is interesting, that it doesn’t have to resort to that. I’m shocked that this came from a first-time director, as Ronan Corrigan really has his finger on the pulse. Outside of the character dynamics, the film can be a bit surface-level and wraps up in a way that’s a bit too clean, but it still manages to be satisfying.
It still feels like this kind of film is niche: it can have a good story, but its delivery method will turn some people off. Which is too bad, as LifeHack is a very well-done and intriguing story. The performances hold up, and this could have been done in a different style and still been interesting. I was shocked by how well this was done, and it gave me a little more hope that the ScreenLife genre hasn’t run dry.
LifeHack is now playing In Theaters.