Review of The Circle (2017) by Hisham D — 16 Dec 2017

The Circle is a 2017 techno-thriller based on the novel by Dave Eggers of the same title The Circle. Directed by James Ponsoldt written by Dave Eggers and stars Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, John Boyega, Karen Gillan, Patton Oswalt and Bill Paxton in his last role prior to his death.

The Circle is the world's largest and most powerful tech and social media company, and provides an opportunity of a lifetime for Mae, played by Emma Watson.

As she rises through the ranks, she is encouraged to engage in a major experiment that pushes the boundaries of privacy, ethics and personal freedom. As she continues in the experiment, every decision she makes, begins to affect the lives and future of her friends, family and eventually all of humanity.

The most powerful idea in the movie is the concept itself. What happens should Google and Facebook become one and we as consumers become exposed 24/7? One may recollect reminisces of The Truman Show in the concept, and appeal to it. The novel itself is a cautionary tale, against having a surveillance-state along pronounced cult leanings; unfortunately the movie doesn't effectively reflect that in a credible way.

At an execution level, one word keeps repeating itself: disappointment. While the movie mimics the approach of The Net and The Social Network, but it lacks any of the interesting dialogue or plot that those movies introduced. The cast and crew was interstellar; however, the way it was directed and edited it was as if a group of amateurs have done the move.

Tom Hanks billing next to Emma Watson is a false marketing ploy as his entire presence in the movie doesn't surpass 7 minutes. Although his presence adds some weight as the charming Steve Jobs-like CEO, yet he isn't in the movie enough to truly feel his impact.

Emma Watson's character is stale, boring and lacking any character. the movie doesn't give enough reason for the audience to truly care for the character with exception a few scenes with her family and the bathroom scenes. John Boyega is restricted to standing around at the rear of auditoriums, backlit and alleys without much dialogue except for acting like a light Denzel Washington.

The limelight of Bill Paxton's performance as Mae's MLS-stricken father may have been the saving grace in the acting part of the movie. Other than that the performances were deeply disappointing.

Overall, The Circle, is a nice tech-y concept with potential, but it disappoints miserably in application.

The Circle gets a D.