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The Social Network

When I first heard they were making a movie about Facebook my reaction was probably the same as yours. They’re making a movie about Facebook? Facebook? What has this world come to? I missed the cinematic release of the film, only catching up now on blu-ray so I’ve heard all the hype, seen all the awards and praise that has been heaped upon it and I must say, it’s all rather well deserved.

How did they make a movie of a social networking website? Behind every piece of code is a programmer and this is the story of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg). After a particularly bad date Zuckerberg comes home and in a drunk state goes onto all the different college houses face book pages and steals the images of all their female students. He creates FaceMesh, not dissimilar to Hot or Not where students pick whichever girl they think is hotter out of the two on display. Zuckerberg created this website in hours using a piece of code written by his friend and later co-founder of ‘the Facebook’, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield).

FaceMesh crashes the network at Harvard university bringing Zuckerberg his first piece of notoriety, which doesn’t go unnoticed by some of the elite students who want to bring Mark on board to create their social networking website ‘Harvard Connect’ for them. Zuckerberg agrees but instead takes their idea and makes a better website, Facebook.

As Facebook grows exponentially in popularity so does Zuckerbergs decline. The Winklevoss’s now want damage rights against him and as Zuckerbergs friendship with Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake) takes him to new heights, he falls away from former best friend and co-founder Eduardo until he decides to force him out of the company.

Now we have two parties who want money from Zuckerberg and our story is told through the two different depositions that he is standing trial in. The story isn’t one hundred percent accurate but this still is a movie at its core and not a documentary. What it is however is a gripping tale of how people can change, how money is power and a catalyst for greed.

From the very first scene we are treated to some face paced dialogue that will be present throughout, we already get the glimpse into an otherwise unopened book that is Zuckerberg that Eisenberg portrays sublimely. His unfazed expressions give a feel of no real emotion lying within and it is only turns from Garfield and Timberlake who slowly twist him inside yet still unfettered looking on the out.

The film is beautifully shot that complements the moods of the characters, from the dark dorm rooms to the bright sunshine of California and large white offices. Indeed it is these colours and shades that help us determine what is going on inside Zuckerbergs head.

Whilst it may seem like another attempt from Hollywood to exploit something popular and for all our doubts going in, The Social Network surprises us all. It’s not about explosions or finding out who killed who but a modern tale of friendship and power. The internet and its influence it has over us is insurmountable and this shows how even something as mundane as a website can weave an excellent story.