It's nice to finally be able to enjoy a movie as much as the general public. I really couldn't think of anything wrong with this movie when it was over, something very rare for someone so inclined towards nitpicking and over analyzing when it comes to movies. I loved the cast from top to bottom, the writing, the direction, and the music (which I usually don't pay much attention to in movies). I didn't expect to care much for the music. I got this idea that rock musician scores are always going to be irritatingly distracting and self-indulgent since the Radiohead guy's score for "There Will Be Blood" annoyed the hell out of me, but the Trent Reznor co-written score was awesome.
I felt like I was watching a lot of star making performances. I've seen Eisenberg in lots of things, but he brought his game way up in this one. I love how ambiguous his character was, due to the writing and his acting. I didn't find him especially heroic or villainous (despite the many hilarious douche-y remarks) and thought this made him fascinating. In the end, I couldn't really make up my mind about whether the character was a cold, overambitious, insensitive and selfish asshole or simply a social misfit who means well, but is insensitive only because he doesn't know any better (this is why I'm finding the reviews speculating about him having a bit of Asperger's syndrome intriguing).
Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake were revelations too. I'm totally sold on Garfield as Spider-Man now. He conveyed earnestness and thoughtful, responsible resolve beautifully, and I think his ability to embody those qualities so well could serve him well as Spider-Man. I read one review comparing this movie to "The Godfather" and could not imagine how a movie about Facebook could earn such a comparison, but with the betrayal of Garfield's character, I saw it. My favourite moment is when he storms up to Zuckerberg in the Facebook office. It reminded me of "I knew it was you, Fredo".
This movie was brilliant. I liked it a lot more than "Inception", which I just couldn't get on the bandwagon for, as much as I wanted to like it the way everyone else did. I was wary about watching a Facebook movie being someone who doesn't use or care much about it, but what I desire most in movies is juicy acting and dialog and this movie has it in spades more than any other modern movie I've seen in a long time. It's smart, entertaining, and relevant. I think it will be respected over time as an excellent portrait of the distinct moral and technological state of society at this exact moment in time. That's why its predicted eventual status as one of the most important movies of the decade does not seem far-fetched to me. BELIEVE THE HYPE.
