A promising subject, that of the lack of privacy by multinational groups that collect all your information and provide surveillance round the clock,
masquerading as benign social networks, ends up being messily handled in this thriller with little thrill apart from a morbid car crash and a vague if scary look into the future. Emma Watson is Mae,
an intake to this Silicon Valley like place and she gets quickly swallowed up into the social network mood of the place
and accepts the challenge of wearing a camera which means her life will be online all day. This predictably has negative consequences for her and her family.
Watson is sound enough in this lead role and Tom Hanks is convincing as the company leader.
Karen Gillan as Mae’s friend Annie provides some much needed sanity.
In the end the film falls apart without really discussing the issues raised or providing us with a good old fashioned thriller. All a bit of a flop.
★★
passionfilm 