How many synonyms are there for incredible?

Rating: 9/10 (2 October 2010)

How can a movie about the creation of Facebook and the legal battles that followed it be interesting enough to warrant a two hour film? When you attach talents to the project like David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin the question is how could this movie not be interesting enough to warrant a two hour film? From the dark and elegant mind of David Fincher, the genius behind movies like Fight Club, Seven, and Zodiac, and the intelligent writing ability of Aaron Sorkin, the creator/writer of the multiple Emmy award winning series The West Wing, comes The Social Network. It chronicles the creation of the most popular social networking site in the world, Facebook. The word facebook should mean something to anybody who owns a computer. I have a Facebook. Most of my family has a Facebook, grandparents included, and I could count on one hand the amount of friends I have that don't have Facebooks. But this innovative and extraordinarily convenient social tool that we take for granted nowadays has a twisted and surprisingly corrupted past. And this past all stems from the manipulative mind of a man named Mark Zuckerberg.
In the opening scene we are also introduced to our protagonist of the story, Mark Zuckerberg. This character is where the greatest risk of the film occurs. Normally when the protagonist does not fit the role of good guy hero character, he or she is the antihero who is not an entirely good person, yet still retains their likability. Zuckerberg breaks this role. He is not at all a likable guy in the beginning of the film. He's a genius who doesn't know how to handle it. Zuckberger displays a glaring disposition where he sets himself above everyone else intellectually. He is extremely pretentious and arrogant towards his piers and colleagues, who he views as all inferior to his extreme level of intelligence. The character reminds me a lot of Jason Schwartzman's role in Wes Anderson's Rushmore, only not being as much of a caricature, so much as a human being (not to say that Rushmore isn't a great film). The way we see the character of Mark Zuckerberg, who I will say is excellently portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg, evolve is incredibly intriguing and constructed very well.
After the opening scene, we are cleverly guided through this story of betrayal and deceit which never loses its charisma. I give huge kudos to this film for its consistency. The dialouge never slows down or trails off and the film as a whole consistently hits a high mark for me. I was never bored, never disinterested, and never lost. I've brought up getting lost or confused multiple times because this film does deal with so much intellectual computer and legal jargon that it could have potentially been extremely confusing to anyone who doesn't have an understanding of the world of coding or lawsuits (including me). Fortunatley, Sorkin writes in such a convincing and clear cut way that as long as you pay attention, you will understand what is going on and you will understand the meaning behind everything that happens in this film and how it all builds to the end in a fulfilling way. Everything about the script is incredible and downright intoxicating. I found myself practically in a trance during long stretches of fast paced conversation. There was never a single moment in this film where I felt unsatisfied with what I was viewing.
As the film progresses, it still retains its gripping story and witty dialouge, but it begins to morph into a story that goes far beyond just the creation of Facebook. It deals greatly with corporate greed and the lengths that one can go to achieve something so incredible, but lose so much in the process. The subtext of this film is where it doubles in its intrigue, and makes it all the more impressive and memorable. It also is a film which defines this generation where technology is part of daily life in the social world. The film presents the pros and cons to this new age of social interaction, yet is not overbearing on one side or the other. The Social Network is, in essence, what every film should be, something that is incredibly well made, while also having a socially relevant credibility and worth. Hypothetically, The Social Network is perfect.
Even fantastic dialouge like this will have to be backed up by great audio/visual work that matches the compelling nature of the script. The Social Network plentifully succeeds on this level as well. Fincher has an impressive talent of creating very gripping visuals, even without immaculate and elegant artistic backdrops. He can create a dank and disgusting basement into a bloody and brutal fighting ring, or a plain and boring deserted desert road into a perfect scene for the final showdown between detective and serial killer. Fincher succeeds once again, as he turns a college party, something we've seen a million and one renditions of, into something so intelligently and artistically crafted in it's own razor edged contemporary fashion, that we forget what kind of simplistic scene we are in. He can turn a slow and monotone boat race into something so beautiful and delicate.
The combined talent of Fincher and Sorkin is thankfully not a wasted one in The Social Network. It lacks in no area, and while it succeeds above and beyond in its script, this is far from the only good thing about the film. Everything comes together so well in this film, and it works like clockwork. The Social Network is a film which defines a generation of technology and connecting through its vast network of social capabilities. It is done so incredibly well and means so much that it is a definite must see.