Sony's savvy publicity department recently invited a handful of online writers to an early screening of David Fincher's "The Social Network," and has now allowed those critics to post early impressions of the studio's Oscar hopeful, though many reactions read like full-length reviews. Needless to say, TheWrap called this one very early on. Traditional media outlets will have to wait a while longer to post their own reviews, but here's what the blogosphere has been buzzing about all day ...
Eric 'Quint' Vespe of Ain't It Cool News:
"I was blown away… The flick has zero fat on it… All the characters pop… All the dialogue, whether sad, funny or serious, is sharp and most important of all, entertaining… Mark Zuckerberg is the character Jesse Eisenberg was born to play… I have a feeling a lot of geeks will be solidly behind [Andrew Garfield] as Peter Parker after seeing this movie, and I think you'll get why David Fincher settled on Rooney Mara for his Lisbeth Salander... This flick doesn't really tell you to root for Zuckerberg or those that claimed he ripped them off. Did he or didn't he? That's kinda left up to you… Atticus Ross & Trent Reznor's score [is] amazing. Jeff Cronenweth's cinematography is also brilliant... Fincher himself is in top form. I loved this movie and I think it officially kicks off the 2010 Oscar race."
Drew McWeeny of HitFix:
""The Social Network" represents the very best of both Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher... Emotionally intense, surprisingly funny and genuinely significant. This is an astounding film about one of the most important seismic shifts in communication in the modern age, and the way innovation and ethics are not often related… I wasn't expecting to be hit emotionally the way I was… The surprise of the film though? Justin Timberlake. Good god -- he is genuinely impressive as Sean Parker... In this film, Fincher is working on a whole different level. His use of digital photography is impressive, and he manages to make even the simplest moments in the film visually arresting... The score by Trent Reznor is spare and effective, and really builds a mood over the course of the film... Every one of Fincher's collaborators seems to have been working at the top of their game, and the result is entertaining from start to finish."
Devin Faraci, formerly of CHUD:
"It's dense and deep and often delightful... It's a great film not just about the founding of Facebook, not just about living in the modern digital age, but also about the very impetus for creativity. In the end, "The Social Network" is a movie about why we invent things... David Fincher seems to have found the perfect partner in screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. Because [they're] more interested in the people and their motivations, "The Social Network" remains gripping... It's bolstered by frankly incredible performances from a young cast.
