The Social Network remains a great film, and a wonderful study of what happens when arrogance and money meet super ‘spergs, and no grown-ups are around to supervise. That movie came out just as we were starting to slowly wake up to the potential damage social media was starting to do to the fabric of Western society.
Why exactly are all the hyper-wealthy tech elite buying up isolated plots of land and building bunkers, anyway?
Anyway… I digress. Based on the above, I was looking forward to The Social Reckoning, a sequel from the same writer that picks up the story several years later. Now, the reviews are out, and the vibe appears to be not good.
As of this morning, The Social Reckoning sits at a decidedly weak 63% on Rotten Tomatoes from 78 reviews. This needs closer inspection… to the summary pages!
“Seemingly everything that went right with “The Social Network” goes wrong here, resulting in a forgettable, clunky film.”
Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm
If you like these actors or happen to be a Sorkin fan, the movie isn’t too bad, but if you want something other than a somewhat preachy story with great dialogue, you have come to the wrong place.
Allison Rose, FlickDirect
“While [Sorkin’s] penchant for conflict and discovery is a winning match for a biographical thriller, his affinity for classical Hollywood storytelling is so off-key for this moment as to feel tone-deaf.”
Kent M. Wilhelm, The Film Stage
“The greatest flaw of The Social Reckoning is that David Fincher isn’t directing, but its greatest strength is Sorkin’s script, which the writer directs with greater competence and energy than earlier behind-the-camera efforts.”
Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict
“By the time ‘The Social Reckoning’ reaches its inevitable conclusion, we’re forced to wonder if Aaron Sorkin knows what the word ‘reckoning’ means.”
William Bibbiani, The Wrap
“Jeremy Strong’s vision of (Zuckerberg) as a smart and cunning but tense, brittle man with zero emotional intelligence and about as much empathy as a saltwater crocodile is going to really rattle his gilded cage.”
Vary Darling, Houston Chronicle
“With “The Social Reckoning,” his writing turns what could be a dry, procedural story with a shadow of light espionage into something much more entertaining and, perhaps unexpectedly, funny.”
Cody Dericks, Next Best Picture
“The problem is, you can’t set out to write an Important Movie, and Sorkin doesn’t seem willing to leave that judgment to the masses. It tells an important story, but without any of the verve that made Fincher’s film stand the test of time.”
Brett Arnold, Yahoo
The Social Reckoning arrives in theaters this weekend, so you can judge for yourself, if you are that way inclined.
