This movie had the potential to be more than it was. I thought it was going to be something of a dystopian style message but it basically meanders around that point for almost 2 hours. There is no drama, no excitement, and no development. Basically it is a boring, creepy ride through the mindset of some of the millennial generation who seem to think their entire lives are something everyone wants to see.
The movie had potential to truly address the issues of privacy in a digital, online age. But it falls very flat. Basically you are left hanging and it seems that the movie actually endorses the "transparent" lifestyle. It seems to push two main points that I want to refute.
1. The idea that your life experiences must be shared with the world at large. Seriously? I can think of so many ways where this can go wrong. First of all it is simply not true. No one is entitled to my life except me. If you want my life experiences, go get them. Also, watching a video of someone's life is not sharing their life experience. At best it is voyeurism.
2. "Secrets are lies." This is pushed about halfway through the movie. At first I thought it was going to be the hook used to draw the antagonist into the issues of privacy. But it never gets used that way in any effective manner. The statement is obviously over-generalized and patently untrue.
I also want to spend a little time on character of Mae, played by Emma Watson. She is the smartest dumb person I have seen in a movie in a long time. She starts out ok and you kind of like her until she starts spouting out the company BS. At first you think she is going to wake up and realize that invading people's privacy is wrong but she never does even when her childhood friend dies because of it. Watson's portrayal is bland at best. She's not all that likable and can't quite seem to completely cover her British accent. With her character's parents portrayed as down-home folks, she comes across as aristocratic. Maybe that was the intent but it does not make for a character you can get behind.
The movie had potential to truly address the issues of privacy in a digital, online age. But it falls very flat. Basically you are left hanging and it seems that the movie actually endorses the "transparent" lifestyle. It seems to push two main points that I want to refute.
1. The idea that your life experiences must be shared with the world at large. Seriously? I can think of so many ways where this can go wrong. First of all it is simply not true. No one is entitled to my life except me. If you want my life experiences, go get them. Also, watching a video of someone's life is not sharing their life experience. At best it is voyeurism.
2. "Secrets are lies." This is pushed about halfway through the movie. At first I thought it was going to be the hook used to draw the antagonist into the issues of privacy. But it never gets used that way in any effective manner. The statement is obviously over-generalized and patently untrue.
I also want to spend a little time on character of Mae, played by Emma Watson. She is the smartest dumb person I have seen in a movie in a long time. She starts out ok and you kind of like her until she starts spouting out the company BS. At first you think she is going to wake up and realize that invading people's privacy is wrong but she never does even when her childhood friend dies because of it. Watson's portrayal is bland at best. She's not all that likable and can't quite seem to completely cover her British accent. With her character's parents portrayed as down-home folks, she comes across as aristocratic. Maybe that was the intent but it does not make for a character you can get behind.