Review of The Social Network (2010) by Phillip D — 18 May 2016

I must say, The Social Network was significantly better than expected. Given Fincher's prolific work across the board, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me but the man who has made a name for himself in recent years due to his impressive work with less than impressive material has done it again.

As with Gone Girl, there isn't much to the Facebook story, especially considering how much is locked behind non-disclosure agreements and the statements of current Facebook employees. Given this and the inherently anti-social nature of the early days of coding and creation, Fincher and a fantastic soundtrack team manage to really put some urgency and tension behind the plot.

In addition to a technically perfect soundtrack, Fincher finds exceptionally creative ways to cut between time periods and locations in ways that are both effective and build momentum for the film. Combined with a truly exceptional cast headed by Eisenberg at his career best, The Social Network is a technically perfect film and clearly as good of a treatment as this story will ever receive.

As is the case with Gone Girl, the question remains however, how impactful will this film be in the long term? Fincher's Fight Club and Se7en to a lesser degree are incredibly influential classics and Fight Club especially continues to dominate pop culture and the movie making process.

Fincher's recent films however have less of this factor and I think The Social Network, a movie commonly found in five dollar bins and pawn shops, is a great example. Ironically, like social media itself, the film's topic is already going out of style.

For those unfamiliar with the early days of Facebook and unconnected to those first profile incarnations, the movie is going to seem pretty pointless (again ironic considering the movie's commentary on people's rapidly changing attitudes).

Beyond some fairly basic (if extremely well acted and written) concepts of friendship, narcissism, the fleeting attention spans of this generation, the cutthroat nature of business and the challenges of genius level intellects, the film doesn't offer the broad spectrum unifying themes that movies like Gladiator, Lord of the Rings, The Dark Knight and The Departed feature, themes that can connect to many different generations, including those far into the future.

These same themes cause repeat viewings, a phenomenon that has a real impact on film industry trends as well. Undeniably, The Social Network is a great film, perfectly constructed and perfectly executed but unfortunately, as is the nature of its subject, its shelf life is limited and its relevance even more so.

It's a movie worth watching but certainly a movie that won't be watched a second time.