Review of The Social Network (2010) by Harry W — 18 Jun 2014

I didnâ(TM)t think that the creation of Facebook really had enough to constitute creating a biographical film, but considering the many Academy Award nominations it received I had to witness it.

Usually, films which are as talkative as The Social Network tend to bore me, and considering the way that the film just rushes through it all at an exceptionally energetically fuelled fast pace. I was actually very impressed with The Social Network because it constantly kept me interested. Although the story is about college boys setting up a social network and the resulting conflicts that it ends up causing didnâ(TM)t sound too interesting to me on the surface and the fact that the film did stretch itself on for a while with some repetitive moments, The Social Network ended up impressing me at just how well it could tell a story because it put a lot of depth and tension into the tale and rendered it a meaningful and compelling piece of cinema.

There was no way for me to tell that there was so much depth behind the creation of Facebook, but The Social Network did it excellently. Through the power of an ambitious script which is intelligent and dramatic with a nice touch of comedy, The Social Network manages to intelligently convey to audiences how the creation of a revolutionary website came to fruition and how it affected everybody involved. The language is impressive because although it makes use of a lot of complex terms and rushes by throughout the film, audiences are easily able to understand everything that the characters are talking about and just what the meaning is of what they are saying. The ambitious scope that Aaron Sorkin goes for in his script manages to capture many years of development into the creation of Facebook and also brings the characters to life in an excellent dramatization and re-enactment of everything that is happening, and under the fierce direction of David Fincher it manages to reach incredible heights of success. Frankly, I was very impressed with just how much The Social Network was able to offer in terms of storytelling because of the limited concept behind it, and the fact that it held my interest with intense, fast paced storytelling was just exceptional. The Social Network is one of those films which leaves a viewer examining just what kind of strength a film can use to tell a story when the creators have a true passion for it, and although it does deviate from the real life events as does every film biopic, it manages to create consistently interesting and complex themes and concepts to go with its characters, rendering it a very good film.

But the reason that The Social Network stands so tall is because of the fact that the cast in the film manage to take full advantage of the characters presented to them and turn the film into an unforgettable front for the talents of a large and versatile list of actors.

Jesse Eisenberg is perfect for the role of Mark Zuckerberg because he captures the neuroticism of the character by contributing his own. Although a character like his tends to usually be a nerdy archetype who talks himself around and out of complex situations, the role of the character Mark Zuckerberg is a lot more complex than anybody could have honestly expected. The man is a genius, and with Jesse Eisenbergâ(TM)s talent for swift and powerful line delivery, he takes on the role and gives it his maximum skill as an actor which is thoroughly impressive. Jesse Eisenberg captures the relentless dedication to achievement which would turn Mark Zuckerberg into the worldâ(TM)s youngest billionaire with extraordinary ease, and it combines all of his best talents as an actor which manifests itself into his best performance to date. Jesse Eisenberg gives a meaningful and compelling portrayal behind the man that created Facebook, and he carries the entire film from start to finish.

Andrew Garfield gives a breakthrough performance in The Social Network. The most important aspects of his performance come from the way that he interacts with Jesse Eisenberg as the relationships between their characters Eduardo Saverin and Mark Zuckerberg because the chemistry they share manifests itself into a seriously tense conflict. The scenes they share together are powerful, and Andrew Garfield shows off the kind of tense emotional strength he carries as an actor when he sees fit. Andrew Garfieldâ(TM)s performance in The Social Network is impressive, and his interactions with the many surrounding cast members reveal what his natural talents are all about.

Justin Timberlake is an actor that I find myself gradually growing to like, and I donâ(TM)t think Iâ(TM)ve seen him give a better performance than his role as Sean Parker in The Social Network. The thing is that his character is very confident and essentially fearless in his goal to be the best, and the kind of determination that Justin Timberlake channels into the role is just great. Justin Timberlake projects a lot of natural charisma in his role as Sean Parker and capitalises on the opportunity very well, guiding himself to an impressive performance and his chemistry with Jesse Eisenberg has them challenging the wits of each other very well.

Armie Hammer also makes a great dual role as Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss because he seamlessly creates two characters which leaves the audience easily believing that the two of them are actually portrayed by separate actors. Using visual techniques, David Fincher is able to create the illusion of two characters, and through his natural acting charisma Armie Hammer manages to easily portray the two of them. He created a chemistry with himself which is challenging to do, but he does it very easily, and the determined nature of his line delivery and simple sense of strength that he supplies to the role prove to be more than enough for him to give a successful performance in The Social Network.

Radisha Jones also makes a memorable supporting effort.

So although it doesn't feel 100% genuine and it does sometimes have a slight feeling of repetition, The Social Network is a powerfully acted and well scripted story which breathes depth into the complicated events regarding the creation of one of the world's most recognised websites.