It's been over a year since David Fincher's zeitgeist masterpiece was released unto the world. Has it stood the test of time? Does the film truly reflect the social media obsessed generation of the noughties or is it just a boring piece of overrated garbage that deserved to be over shadowed by a lisp impaired monarch? Gregory Wakeman investigates ...
The Social Network is a piece of populist art that deserves every distinction it has been awarded. It really should be a dull movie, I mean all we are watching is a stuck up nerd, with a chip on his shoulder creating a website. However under David Fincher's tutelage, the film picks up a vibrant efficiency that makes each scene mesmerisic. The multi stranded story arc is handled with an elegant poise that never comes close to bamboozling the viewer, and then there is the dialogue. Aaron Sorkin is already recognised as a Scriptwriting genius, and it is with the Social Network where he truly unveils his arsenal of talent, developing the plot and characters of the film in such a unique and interesting way, that each of them remains thoroughly unlikable, yet utterly compelling. Of course the film is also perfectly cast, with abusively good-looking actors like Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield who inherit their characters to such an extent that it is impossible to actually believe they were ever, real life human beings. However it is Justin Timberlake who delivers the most astounding performance. The character of Sean Parker needs to be a seductive, charming nuisance who leads Mark Zuckerberg astray, and Timberlake abandons his boy band facade to unveil a serious talent for acting. The films lack of success at the Oscars in the sprin, to me, only confirmed its importance as a zeitgeist piece of cinema that has reflected the world we live in a little too brightly.
