Review of The Circle (2017) by Shpostal — 27 Apr 2017

We've been warned about "Big Brother", the surrender of privacy and all the horrors one can imagine in a high tech world ever since Orwell's "1984", or with a religious theocracy thrown in for even more of a horrible scenario, Margaret Atwood's equally terrifying "The Handmaid's Tale".

But still, the future intrigues us all, and because I do like Tom Hanks a lot, and like Emma Watson too, "The Circle" was disappointing in its delivery and lack of menace that would have made a cautionary tale a very frightening one, which it should be.

The premise is sound - "The Circle" basically is using false excuses to develop and sell technology that would totally destroy every last ounce of privacy of anybody using a phone, computer or even out in public with miniature spy cam/computers hidden all over the place.

Cynics like myself contend that day is probably already here in one form or another, and the global impact described in the movie is in our near future because we are addicted to social media and in the name of "socializing" have idiotically surrendered every last vestige of personal privacy or freedom.

For others who still have a bit of faith in humanity to draw the line before that scenario happens, it's a cautionary story at best, and where tragic things happen because of this intrusive company, it falls flat.

I am surprised that Hanks and Watson were agreeable to this movie given its weakness and watered down version of what could happen. Watson's performance is flat, Tom Hanks simply isn't menacing enough to scare anybody, and the supposed "fix" for the problem is shallow at best, and contradictory as pulling off such a feat without a spoiler alert would be virtually impossible once you see the movie and see how sophisticated the supposed "Circle" and its computer might are supposed to be.

So while it's not terrible, and serves its purpose to remind all of us how our civil rights are being taken away with no thought about it, and the necessity to do what we can to protect ourselves. As a captivating movie however, it's a dud.