By Wren Culp
Staff Writer/Webmaster
“PUNK. GENIUS. BILLIONAIRE.”
The giant ad banner is intriguing, taunting, exciting, but more importantly, dark. The sign creates an environment that the viewer is trapped in. You don’t know what it means. You don’t know what it can mean. And if you have yet to see The Social Network, then you have no idea what it will mean.
Everything that has ever been created for the masses started at one point: a crazy idea. An idea that is fully formed and understood is the most dangerous one. And once the idea is conceived , it is impossible to get rid of.
In The Social Network, Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenbergh (Zombieland), had a crazy idea. And it becomes evident while watching that Zuckerberg would do anything to keep that idea alive.
He dropped out of college, betrayed his best friend and hurt almost everyone he loved to satisfy his need to bring this idea to life. He wanted to move on from being “a joke”, as he called himself.
Zuckerberg is portrayed with an unfounded sense of arrogance in the film. His snarky remarks and careless attitude portray him as a person who doesn’t care about a lot. But when he “got” this idea for Facebook, it became his obsession.
The word “got” is used in quotes because Zuckerberg didn’t “get” the idea. He stole it. Technically, he took another students idea and made it better. But, in a sense, that’s exactly what stealing is.
Eisenbergh portrays Zuckerberg perfectly: There is no other way to describe it. When you sit down and take in the events of this movie, you slowly begin to realize that no one else could have done this role as well as he did.
His best acting was when he stared at somebody in the corporate office where he was being questioned for his actions. Whenever he was accused, he would just look at people – especially when he knew that a point had been made against him. There was so much power in that blank stare that it gave me the shivers in my seat.
Eisenbergh wasn’t the only star that shined in the darkly toned film. Andrew Garfield, who played Zuckerberg’s best friend Eduardo Saverin, was superb. He brought Saverin to this emotional place where you could feel him slipping out of the company and the story.
Justin Timberlake, playing entrepreneur Sean Parker who changed the whole game of Facebook, played his role well. He played Zuckerberg’s “alter ego” so well that you would believe that Timberlake’s name was actually Sean Parker.
As for the screenplay, two words: impeccably written. Aaron Sorkin was chosen to scribe the film, and he nailed it. He made it dark, fast paced, witty but, more importantly, intelligent.
The script will be a milestone in screenwriting in the years to come. People looking to break into the film industry as a writer will look to this for inspiration and guidance. It will be the holy book of screenwriting.
Aside from the writing and acting, another element was in place that made this film fantastic: Director David Fincher. Fincher has directed critically acclaimed movies such as Fight Club, Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and his style is unmistakable. Long camera shots, intense camera movements, and overall great makes Fincher films one-of-a-kind.
The film itself centers not so much on the making of Facebook, but the aftermath of everybody involved. Just consider Facebook the back drop to the entire film. The after effects of the deals people made, the promises broken, and the trust that was lost make it truly worth seeing.
If you need more proof on the power of the film over people, check out Rotten Tomatoes where the film has garnered a 97% approval rating out of 100%. If that doesn’t make you at least consider seeing the film, then who knows what will.
The film is stunning in every way. It connects you with characters, makes you a part of the story, and leaves you wanting for more at the end. This is the way every film should be made.
Overall, a very dark but genius film. David Fincher and Jesse Eisenbergh bring the movie to life, but if an award is given, Andrew Garfield will win best supporting actor.
