Film Review: Internet II

For as long as the internet has been a commercialized and more widely used network, Hollywood has been making movies about shadowy figures doing stuff on it and to it. Sometimes these characters ARE on the side of good. More often they’re attempting something nefarious. Almost invariably, they’re involved in something that doesn’t make a ton of sense and bears little resemblance to how the internet and computers actually function.

Now Internet II is here to disrupt (sorry) the genre. And celebrate it, too. With palpable fondness, but razor-sharp precision, this short film by writers and directors Conrad Osei and Ben Stager hacks (again, sorry) the techno thriller. Back in 1995, a group of coders were arrested for trying to create a new internet, “the internet for the free thinker,” Internet 1.5. In the present day, members of the original team have formed a new collective to unleash a newer and better version of their vision on the world: Internet II. They succeed in revolutionizing the net —Google searches involving the letter “J” redirect users to an Internet II portal and lower case “j”s have become lower case “i”s! — but they also attract the ire of e-commerce leaders. Especially the biggest e-commerce giant of all, Jerry of jerrymart.com. Things quickly turn dangerous for our anti-establishment heroes when the man fights back. 

A treat for people who love techno thrillers, as well as those who hate them — and especially satisfying for those who feel some mix of the two — Internet II is a fantastically made short. It’s written with a gratifying mix of wit and goofiness by Osei and Stager. It’s performed with pitch-perfect deadpan delivery by a cast that includes Isabella Campbell, Hanif Jetha, Veronika Slowikowska, Jordanne Brown, and Shelby Wilson. Even the small budget-friendly sets and graphics are on point with its expert recreations of 90s website design and 00s tech. What can’t be recreated is easily explained with some really amusing throwaway lines. Plus Ontario Place and the Exhibition grounds enjoy some of the most inspired use that poor location has seen in years!

Internet II will screen as part of TOSketchfest21 - Screen Time Edition on Friday, March 26 at 10pmET.
Get your tickets here.