FILM: THE SOCIAL NETWORK
Review By Duncan McLeod
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake
Synopsis: On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history… but for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.
Review: When it was announced that David Fincher would be directing a “facebook movie” it was safe to say there were quite a few skeptics. To say that Fincher exceeded expectations would be an understatement, because The Social Network is quite possibly the best movie so far this year. The script is impeccable, the acting is fantastic, and the directing is some of Fincher’s best work ever.
Jesse Eisenberg stars as Mark Zuckerberg, a socially awkward Harvard student who later goes on to become the world’s youngest billionaire. Eisenberg has been repeatedly compared to Michael Cera, because of their similarities in both appearance and acting style. It is here that Eisenberg shows us he can actually act. He has proven that he can do more than the one-note awkwardness that has defined both him and Cera. Andrew Garfield plays Eduardo Saverin, Mark’s best friend, colleague, and eventual legal adversary. Garfield gives by far the best performance, and we could very well see him with an Oscar nomination come award season. Although relatively unknown to American audiences at this point, Garfield will soon become a huge star when he steps into the role of Peter Parker in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot.
The strongest thing about The Social Network is definitely its script. Written by Aaron Sorkin, it never misses a beat. It makes no assumptions about the intelligence of the audience and pulls no punches when it comes to the use of technical terminology. The dialogue is extremely fast-paced, and the back-and-forth between the characters is excellent. At certain points throughout the film, I found some of the dialogue exchanges to be just as exciting as any action sequence.
David Fincher once again proves himself a master of both style and substance. He is a master director who can make even the most tedious of subjects seem fresh and exciting. The Social Network is, surprisingly, one of the most visually striking movies in recent memory. There is one scene in particular, a rowing sequence, which uses absolutely brilliant depth-of-field techniques to make it one of the most visually entertaining moments of the year. Topped off with a fantastic score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network sets a new standard for how modern movies should be made.
SEE HOW IT RATED ON ROTTENTOMATOES.COM HERE
Fincher hit all the right notes with this movie on a purely technical level but the movie was cold and there wasn’t anything here to pull you into feeling much for any of the characters. We’ve seen all of these characters in dozens of movies in the past.The Social Network has been compared as being this generation’s Network. While technically The Social Network is a better looking movie ,Network had the heart that The Social Network lacked. (good review)