The Social Reckoning Trailer Review: Jeremy Strong’s Unwanted Sequel Shows Promise
The teaser trailer for The Social Reckoning has been released. Even though many did not ask for a sequel to The Social Network, the first footage is surprisingly effective.
The Social Reckoning has been described as a companion piece to The Social Network. Aaron Sorkin, who won an Oscar for his Social Network screenplay, writes and directs The Social Reckoning.
The official synopsis reads: “Sorkin’s original screenplay is based on the events that gave rise to the Wall Street Journal’s shocking exposé, The Facebook Files. The film is inspired by the true story of how Frances Haugen (Madison), a young Facebook engineer, enlists the help of Jeff Horwitz (White), a Wall Street Journal reporter, to go on a dangerous journey that ends up blowing the whistle on the social network’s most guarded secrets.”
The cast features Mikey Madison as Frances Haugen, Jeremy Allen White as Jeff Horwitz, and Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg. Wunmi Mosaku, Betty Gilpin, Billy Magnussen, and Bill Burr also star.
The Social Reckoning Trailer Review
Watching the teaser trailer for The Social Reckoning is truly a “this movie is real” moment. Making an unnecessary follow-up to a movie considered one of the best of the 21st century is ambitious and risky. Frankly, it might even be reckless. Why jeopardize The Social Network’s legacy with a companion piece?
Biases aside, the footage is better than expected. It certainly helps to have a cast of award-winning actors, including Madison and White. The biggest surprise is that it looks like The Social Reckoning is almost two movies in one.
The whistleblowing aspect and the subsequent investigation with Haugen and Horwitz are extremely effective in the trailer. The second storyline within The Social Reckoning revolves around Zuckerberg and his preparation to address the investigation in court. Taking over for Jesse Eisenberg, who received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Zuckerberg, is a tall task.
It’s jarring to see and hear Strong as Zuckberg. It’s distracting at first and almost feels like a parody. As the trailer progresses, Strong’s interpretation of Zuckerberg becomes more believable.
This movie’s success hinges on two things: Strong’s performance as Zuckerberg and Sorkin’s directing. Strong has the talent to pull this off, and if critics respect his performance, it should be in contention for awards.
Sorkin is still fairly unproven as a director. The genius of The Social Network became the balance between Sorkin’s script and David Fincher’s direction. Without Fincher, The Social Reckoning loses a lot of its magic. For now, the trailer is a decent start for Sorkin behind the camera.
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Source: Comingsoon.net