Fantastically Written

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2018)

The screenplay from Aaron Sorkin really makes this film. It makes what could have been a boring concept thrilling and absorbing. The dialogue is so visceral and quick-fire that I never lost interest despite not knowing all the jargon being used. David Fincher's direction is focused which really helps keep the narrative flowing. I never found myself bored because of the excellent combination of writing and direction.
Jesse Eisenburg's performance as Mark Zuckerberg is thrilling as he plays what is almost an insufferable genius to perfection, whilst his performance is grounded by the excellent Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, the co-founder of Facebook. No character is truly moral, all working with their own agendas and interests which creates realistic conflict. When Saverin confronts Zuckerberg about his shares in the company being diluted it ends up being one of the best scenes in the film because of this.
There also must be a mention to Justin Timberlake's portrayal of Sean Parker, who is the closest thing to an antagonist in the film, with how he clashes with Saverin and in effect forces him out of Facebook.
The only issues I had with the film was when it cut back to the lawsuit going on in the present day, as I felt it disrupted the pace of the narrative somewhat, and that the ending seemed a little abrupt.
I know the subject matter has probably been somewhat glamourised to make the narrative more entertaining, but it certainly succeeds there.