Review by Gabija Varnelyte
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Rooney Mara
Screenwriter: Aaron Sorkin
Plot: After being dumped by his girlfriend, Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) writes a hate-filled blog about her, then hacks into all the local college computers and creates ‘Facemash’, a website to compare girls. This site proves very popular, and leads Zuckerberg to the creation of ‘The Facebook’. Yet as the site and its popularity grow, tensions rise between Zuckerberg and his best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and a dispute develops between Zuckerberg and the Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer).
Review: Many People would not have believed that a movie about the creation of a website, albeit an immensely popular and relevant one, could turn out to be a good and interesting one. In this case, it most certainly has! The Social Network has defied expectations, turning out to be a stirring drama, thanks to many elements.
One of these is the superb script from Aaron Sorkin, for which he rightly won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The opening scene featuring Zuckerberg and his girlfriend Erica (Rooney Mara) establishes a quick and smart script, which never relents and provides the film with a rapid pace, which keeps you hooked till the end. It truly makes the film what it is, one containing dark humour and themes of loyalty and betrayal, but also one which is filled with sadness, an aching sadness which can be felt throughout the film, underplaying most scenes.
Another element, which makes this film what it is, are the superb performances from the cast. Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, and it is clear why. At the start we are introduced to a somewhat cold and insensitive person, set on revenge after his girlfriend Erica dumps him, but as the film progresses and Zuckerberg is at the centre of two law suits, one cannot help but feel sorry for Zuckerberg, feeling his sadness and loneliness. All of this is due to the simply superb performance from Eisenberg.
Andrew Garfield delivers a heartbreaking performance as Eduardo Saverin, allowing us to feel the hurt and betrayal that Saverin felt. Eduardo was the one who provided Zuckerberg with the $1,000 loan to start up Facebook, but as it grew, he was left behind, replaced by Sean Parker. The film also features a surprising performance from Justin Timberlake, who plays the sly Napster founder Sean Parker with relish. Parker appeals to Zuckerberg’s reckless instincts and is the one mainly responsible for helping Zuckerberg turn Facebook into what it is.
David Fincher directs this film expertly, pushing his actors to be their best. For his work, he got an Oscar nomination for Best Director, and won the Golden Globe for Best Director. The Soundtrack of The Social Network is also phenomenal, having won the Oscars for Best Original Score for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It helps set the mood for the film, the techno beats connecting to the subject of computers, the instrumentals building tension and a sense of danger, yet also sadness. The colour palette and cinematography David Fincher uses is also great, dark at times, golden at others, also helping to set the mood.
Summary: This is a superb, though-provoking and moving drama, filled with emotion, about an invention that has changed how we communicate with each other.
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Rooney Mara
Screenwriter: Aaron Sorkin
Plot: After being dumped by his girlfriend, Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) writes a hate-filled blog about her, then hacks into all the local college computers and creates ‘Facemash’, a website to compare girls. This site proves very popular, and leads Zuckerberg to the creation of ‘The Facebook’. Yet as the site and its popularity grow, tensions rise between Zuckerberg and his best friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and a dispute develops between Zuckerberg and the Winklevoss twins (Armie Hammer).
Review: Many People would not have believed that a movie about the creation of a website, albeit an immensely popular and relevant one, could turn out to be a good and interesting one. In this case, it most certainly has! The Social Network has defied expectations, turning out to be a stirring drama, thanks to many elements.
One of these is the superb script from Aaron Sorkin, for which he rightly won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The opening scene featuring Zuckerberg and his girlfriend Erica (Rooney Mara) establishes a quick and smart script, which never relents and provides the film with a rapid pace, which keeps you hooked till the end. It truly makes the film what it is, one containing dark humour and themes of loyalty and betrayal, but also one which is filled with sadness, an aching sadness which can be felt throughout the film, underplaying most scenes.
Another element, which makes this film what it is, are the superb performances from the cast. Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, and it is clear why. At the start we are introduced to a somewhat cold and insensitive person, set on revenge after his girlfriend Erica dumps him, but as the film progresses and Zuckerberg is at the centre of two law suits, one cannot help but feel sorry for Zuckerberg, feeling his sadness and loneliness. All of this is due to the simply superb performance from Eisenberg.
Andrew Garfield delivers a heartbreaking performance as Eduardo Saverin, allowing us to feel the hurt and betrayal that Saverin felt. Eduardo was the one who provided Zuckerberg with the $1,000 loan to start up Facebook, but as it grew, he was left behind, replaced by Sean Parker. The film also features a surprising performance from Justin Timberlake, who plays the sly Napster founder Sean Parker with relish. Parker appeals to Zuckerberg’s reckless instincts and is the one mainly responsible for helping Zuckerberg turn Facebook into what it is.
David Fincher directs this film expertly, pushing his actors to be their best. For his work, he got an Oscar nomination for Best Director, and won the Golden Globe for Best Director. The Soundtrack of The Social Network is also phenomenal, having won the Oscars for Best Original Score for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. It helps set the mood for the film, the techno beats connecting to the subject of computers, the instrumentals building tension and a sense of danger, yet also sadness. The colour palette and cinematography David Fincher uses is also great, dark at times, golden at others, also helping to set the mood.
Summary: This is a superb, though-provoking and moving drama, filled with emotion, about an invention that has changed how we communicate with each other.