You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies
Rating: 9/10
Running Time: 120 minutes
US Certificate: PG-13 UK Certificate: 12A
On DVD
As you are poking your friends, feeding your Farmville horses and perving on your best friend’s wife’s holiday snaps, you may occasionally spare a though as to how the internet phenomenon that is Facebook came about. If not then you should as it is a mighty interesting story behind one 2010’s best movies.
The tale begins in 2003 when Harvard Undergraduate and computer whizzkid Mark Zuckerburg (Eisenberg) goes into partnership with best friend Eduardo (Garfield) and the rich Winkelvoss twins (both played by Hammer) to develop a social networking site for the fraternity of Harvard to keep in touch. Over only a few years this little internet tool sees extraordinary growth worldwide and soon has millions of members and makes young Mark a billionaire. Problem is, Mark may have screwed over his best mate and former business partners to get to this stage and now they want a piece of the pie.
The Social Network is a surprisingly intelligent, well written and well acted drama-thriller of sorts. The themes of betrayal and greed are dealt with in a mature and interesting manner and Fincher has a story here that really holds the attention as it whizzes back and forth between the creation and litigation periods. The cast also do a great job in making the most unlikeable (and rich) of scamps into well-constructed characters with likeable and negative facets. The invention of Facebook is not up there with the fall of the Berlin Wall or the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand as world defining moments but it is a story that certainly deserves to be told as it has revolutionised the social interactions of a generation. Even if that shows the world that we are indeed a rubbish generation.
It's Got: Excellent characterisation and acting, Justin Timberlake proving he can do more than just sing, a good story
It Needs: Not to be looked down upon because of it's subject
DVD Extras Mainly revolves around a commentary, 90 minute stylised and intriguing making-of documentary and a slightly less interesting piece about the soundtrack DVD Extras Rating: 8/10
Summary
John Guzdek likes this.