A masterpiece that gets better every time I watch it.

Rating: 10/10 (25 April 2012)

When I first saw The Social Network in theaters, I was excited to see a new film from my favorite director, David Fincher. I was stunned by the outcome of the film, and was blown away at the talents displayed through the direction, writing, acting, editing, cinematography, just about everything that makes a great film. The Social Network is an example of why I love movies.
But the thing that really strikes me about the film is how it improves upon multiple viewings. Every time I watch it, I notice something new about the plot, and it's structure, that I missed before. But more interestingly, I see why people are calling it a generation-defining film. The movie never directly explore what our generation has shaped into. But what this movie does is portray it in the most realistic fashion I could ever imagine a film doing. It's almost as if I'm right there, experiencing 2003 all over again.
As I said earlier, the writing is brilliant. Not only in dialogue, but in structure of the story, and the study of its characters. Aaron Sorkin deserved his Oscar for the screenplay, and it was disappointing that Fincher didn't win for directing and handling this script with such grace and creativity. I also was thoroughly impressed by its cast of Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and (surprise, surprise) Justin Timberlake. I look forward to seeing these three in future films, working with other directors.
Ever since I saw Fight Club, which is ranked highly among my all time favorites, I became and huge admirer of Fincher, and wanted to see his other works. The Social Network, like all of Fincher's film, is very similar to Fight Club in terms of dark lighting and how the camera focuses on characters. However, it manages to be such a different film in terms of editing, mood, and themes, it shows how Fincher can handle new ground, and becoming another masterpiece among his films.