Jackrabbit (2015) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The story unfolds in City Six, an urban center rebuilt after a catastrophic event called The Reset. Under the control of Vopo Technologies, the city blends modern surveillance with relic technology from the 1980s. Residents scavenge vintage parts to keep devices running while drones and curfews enforce the regime's grip on daily life.

• city six
• vopo technologies
• post-reset
• setting
• location

Jackrabbit is set twenty-five years after The Reset, a global catastrophe that collapsed advanced technology. Society has partially rebuilt but operates under a tech-dominant Vopo regime that prioritizes stability over rebellion. The world mixes salvaged 1980s-era machinery with modern surveillance systems, creating a unique post-catastrophe atmosphere.

• post-reset era
• timeline
• 25 years after
• setting
• future

Vopo Technologies is the corporation that controls City Six after The Reset. Co-founded by Paul Bateson and the idealist Tom, Vopo emphasizes safety and order over individual freedom. The regime maintains power through constant surveillance, drones, and enforcement of curfews, presenting itself as protective while suppressing dissent.

• vopo
• corporation
• surveillance state
• regime
• city six control

Surveillance is a central theme shaping every decision in City Six. Vopo's omnipresent monitoring forces characters to hide, hack, or adapt constantly. The film portrays surveillance as both protective and oppressive, it maintains order while stifling freedom. The tension between being seen and remaining hidden drives the protagonists' investigation and choices throughout the story.

• surveillance
• monitoring
• privacy
• vopo control
• cameras

The film explores the pursuit of freedom beyond City Six's controlled walls. Characters like Max challenge the curfew and security-first order, seeking open horizons and other surviving cities. The story questions what true liberty costs when a society values order over individual risk. This tension between safety and autonomy runs as a persistent undercurrent throughout the narrative.

• freedom
• liberty
• escape
• autonomy
• rebellion
• max

Betrayal shapes key relationships in Jackrabbit, most notably Simon's choice to inform on his friend Eric to protect himself. This act reveals how fear reshapes friendships under surveillance. The revelation of hidden pasts reframes motives and loyalties, with betrayal's consequences rippling through the investigation and the characters' divergent paths.

• betrayal
• simon
• eric
• trust
• loyalty
• informant

Max is a resourceful hacker portrayed by Ian Christopher Noel who longs for freedom and discovery beyond City Six's confines. He befriends Simon during the investigation into Eric's death and dreams of finding other surviving cities. Driven by curiosity and anti-establishment ideals, Max ultimately escapes City Six, embracing the unknown desert beyond the walls.

• max
• hacker
• freedom
• escape
• protagonist
• ian christopher noel

Simon is a computer technician played by Josh Caras who investigates his friend Eric's death and the encrypted messages left by Tom. Technically proficient and pragmatic, he leverages Vopo connections to stay safe. His past choice to inform on Eric reveals a willingness to sacrifice friends for personal security. Ultimately, he chooses to remain aligned with Vopo, watching Max depart the city.

• simon
• computer technician
• josh caras
• vopo
• informant

Grace, played by Joslyn Jensen, is a hospital worker who becomes a crucial ally to Max and Simon. She guides them to a network of anti-Vopo activists and a safe house, helping connect clues to missing people including her sister. Her involvement raises the human stakes of the conflict, and she is tragically killed after assisting the group, highlighting the deadly cost of dissent.

• grace
• hospital worker
• ally
• joslyn jensen
• anti-vopo
• sacrifice

Paul Bateson, portrayed by Reed Birney, is a co-founder of Vopo Technologies who values stability over idealism. He recalls his former partner Tom and frames the conflict in terms of security and order. Bateson embodies the tension between safeguarding society and stifling rebellion, often emphasizing the practical limits of dissent within City Six's framework.

• paul bateson
• reed birney
• vopo founder
• stability
• order

The Reset is the global catastrophe that occurred twenty-five years before the story, collapsing advanced technology worldwide. Humanity struggled to rebuild, with aging machinery replacing sophisticated tech. The event led to Vopo Technologies' rise and the formation of controlled cities like City Six, fundamentally reshaping civilization and creating the dystopian world the characters inhabit.

• the reset
• catastrophe
• global event
• technology collapse
• world history

An underground network of hackers operates in City Six's shadows, resisting Vopo's surveillance regime. Characters like Max and the late Steven were part of this movement, which seeks truth beyond corporate control. The anti-Vopo activists leave encrypted messages and work toward connecting with other surviving cities, representing hope for change within the oppressed society.

• anti-vopo
• hackers
• resistance
• underground
• steven
• network