LIFEHACK -- Gen Z's Robin Hood

Review by Steve Barton II

Heist films have existed in the medium of film since the beginning with 1903’s The Great Train Robbery, which allegedly drove a widespread panic in theaters due to audiences experiencing this new technology. Since then, countless bank robbery and heist movies have been produced and they all follow a similar structure. A crew of unlikely characters are brought together by one leader who sees an unexpected opportunity to rob a bank and/or rich person, but their plan is thwarted by a third party or circumstance and it ends with the thief learning a lesson about life. LifeHack brings this premise into the modern age and gives audiences a fresh look at the over-saturated genre. LifeHack follows Kyle (Georgie Farmer), a teen who has completely grown up in the internet/computer age and discovers a group of friends who are all extremely intelligent when it comes to computers and hacking. When Kyle sees the opportunity to commit a multi-million dollar cryptocurrency heist from tech mogul Don Heard (who serves as an Elon Musk stand-in), he gets his talented team together to commit massive bitcoin robbery without leaving their bedrooms.

While the technological advances in heist styles makes LifeHack unique among the other heist films, that’s not the only reason why it’s important and one of a kind. The story plays out completely through computer screens with video calls and first person shots through Kyle’s perspective. We’ve seen this style of film with Unfriended, Host and Searching, but LifeHack is one of the first times it’s used outside of the horror/thriller genre. From this perspective, the audience is forced to feel much more immersed into the story and the pressure and tension that Kyle and his friends feel in these intense moments. The audience is also able to learn more about Kyle and other characters without forcing a bunch of expositional dialogue with seeing Kyle emotional over his poor relationship with his father and what motivates him to commit such a dangerous crime. In our modern age, video calls and Discord chats are common ways of communication and the dialogue between the teens adds the overall authentic and realistic tone of it all.

LifeHack’s visual style is its best feature, but the cast of young adults are also incredible. Each actor brings their own style and flair to the group and no one feels like a caricature of a stereotypical “hacker” that we’ve seen in the popular media for the last 30+ years. The rest of the group consists of Yasmin Finney as Alex, Roman Hayeck-Gren as Sid and James Scholz as Petey and their chemistry as internet buddies speaks to both their performances and the writing and direction from the newcomer Ronan Corrigan. For a first time director to think of this creative framing for his project is inspiring and encouraging to see what he thinks of next. While the story may not be the most original and plays out a bit predictably, the experience of the odd perspective and fun characters are the major selling points for LifeHack.

In the end, LifeHack is a creative endeavor in an otherwise basic and bland genre. While the story isn’t breaking new ground, its main focus is showing how we can make these familiar story elements new and intriguing with a new framing. Some audience members that didn’t care for this style when Unfriended or Missing did it, may not be won over here, but it’s worth it if you hate the rich and like a modern Robin Hood story. Ronan Corrigan shows promise with his feature endeavors in the oceans of film and we should all be seated for the next one. If a modern twist on the heist movie grand design with technology mixed with internet "street smarts", LifeHack has you covered from every angle of your computer screen. 

LifeHack breaks its way into theaters starting May 15th! 

Rating: 3.5/5