I can’t pay to see The Interview on Christmas Day. That pisses me off, not because I was so pumped up about seeing The Interview but instead because it seems absurd that I no longer have the option. It’s really upsetting, and based on the Internet reaction, there are a lot of other people who are upset too. All of that, coupled with a weird vaguely guilt free conscience many might feel since the film was shelved, will probably create the perfect storm for downloading in gigantic numbers. Unfortunately, it now looks like that’s a bad idea. Not because of Sony’s feelings or because of the Federal Government but instead because of viruses.
As of last night, a genuine copy of The Interview hadn’t been spread around Internet file sharing sites. It’s possible something hit this morning, but if it has, no one really knows about it. There are, however, numerous sites claiming to offer a torrent to download, according to Softpedia. Unfortunately, many, or all, of those sites are actually offering merely a ruse. Some of the fake torrents are actually just The English Patient with malware embedded inside. Others are asking users to fill in codes or complete surveys prior to watching the "film" in order to gain access to various portions of the user's computer.
Downloading movies is illegal. Exactly how much of an effect it might have on the actual industry is very debatable at this point, but it is a fact that if everyone downloaded illegally, there would be no more movies. That being said, we’re aware a lot of people do download. And we’re not judging, just advising you be really, really careful right now. No movie is worth getting your personal information stolen or your computer ruined.
The Interview was originally scheduled to be released on Christmas Day. Following some protests by North Korea, Sony’s computer system was hacked. A ton of secretive information was publicly released, and eventually, the hackers threatened 9/11-style violence. The Federal Government released a statement saying it didn’t consider the threat credible, but after Sony gave theater chains the option of cancelling screenings, damn near every single one took the studio up on its offer. Yesterday, the release was officially cancelled, leading to a stream of angry celebrities going off on Twitter.
Without any kind of release planned, The Interview is currently in a weird limbo where it’s probably the most famous movie in the entire world, and yet, no one can pay to see it. That’s why people are checking torrent sites with extra vigor, and that’s why sketchy parties seem to think they can take advantage of the situation.
We’ll keep you updated. Until it's safe, find some other way to troll Kim Jong-un.
