If I was going to give a subtitle to this review it might be The Circle: Buzz Words without a Buzzy Story. On the surface the The Circle looks like an intriguing thriller about social media and there are moments of that but they are buried inside a very dopey script, poor character development and tons of exposition.
Based on the novel by Dave Eggers, director James Ponsoldt takes a dopey book and turns it into an even dopier movie. Some elements in the novel like the suicide of a character have a lot of emotion and depth to them. In the movie that suicide is made into an accident and its impact is minimal. It’s just everything is neutered emotionally but then explained as if we were toddlers in the audience that it becomes hard to watch.
I felt like saying “movie we all get it! Social media can be invasive and take away from actual relationships”. The odd thing is within The Circle they never really address the true darkness of things like cyberbullying or trolling. It’s all on a level of ‘isn’t that uncomfortable this information or moment got shared”.
Emma Watson stars as Mae who gets a job at a facebook-like company called The Circle. It’s really like Google and Facebook combined. She is initially skeptical but then is won over…but then she’s skeptical again and won over again. There is no sense of here’s where this character starts and here’s what she learns in the end. Watson is fine in the role but it’s for a hopeless endeavor of a bland character. There’s one point where she commits a crime and that came out of nowhere. Why would she want to do that in the middle of the night? I have no idea.
Tom Hanks plays Eamon the head of The Circle and I guess he is supposed to be scary? It is certainly portrayed that way in the marketing with the label “the only thing he can’t control is her”. Far from it, he controls her very well, literally manipulating every aspect of her life for most of the movie. He’s not in the movie that much and mostly gives presentations to large groups, which makes for weak character development.
The biggest problem with Eamon and The Circle is we don’t understand the motivation. Is it to make money? Because clearly most of the stuff going on in The Circle doesn’t make them money. For example, they have a promotion to get everyone in The Circle to vote. Why does Eamon want this? For political control? If that is the case it is not clear what he wants to do with that power when he gets it. Does he want to start a cult? This could be but aside from protecting people there doesn’t seem to be an underlying philosophy usually associated with cults.
John Boyega’s character is also a huge miss. Without spoilers, let’s just say there is no way The Circle would keep him around. He’s basically there to occasionally pipe in and give Mae exposition.
The rest of the actors like the late Bill Paxton are fine but in such a lame story it is such a shame. Even the editing and directing felt cheap and rushed.
There are a few good moments and thought provoking ideas but for the most part The Circle was a bad movie. Poor characters, writing and tone.
Oh well! Can’t win them all.
Overall Grade- D-
I was on the fence about seeing this movie, but after hearing all these reviews, I think I’m just gonna skip it.
It’s a shame but I’m not totally surprised. The book is one that unsettles with its concepts and ideas, along with the way you see Mae’s psyche develop, but not that much happens. Still, I’ll catch it when it eventually gets a UK release
Let me know what you think when you do
We’ve discussed this film before, but it sounds like the film has the exact same problems the novel had: a lack of characterization. Mae has no personality and is too easily influenced. Eamon could be an interesting baddie, but his motivations are murky and he doesn’t do a whole lot. Kalden and Mae’s ex-boyfriend exist primarily to spout the author’s opinions. Mae’s mom and dad don’t do much of anything. It’s a serious flaw, and it hurts the book considerably.
Actually, Annie was the only character I cared for. She actually got a character arc; she actually learned something over the course of the story. If Eggers had wanted to make his book ten times better, he should have made Annie the main character!
It’s sad, because these are the kind of dystopian stories I like, in both book and film. (See Soylent Green for a better example!)
That being said, I’m still hoping that the movie will be at least a little better, largely because of the talent involved. Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, John Boyega, and Glenne Headly are all talented actors, and I’m hoping they bring something new to their roles. (I’m also really hoping that Bill Paxton’s last film isn’t a bad one.)
I must agree here. I had a hard time connecting with Mae as a main character for the same reasons you mentioned. I kept hoping that she would develop a backbone at some point.
Rats, I’m sorry to hear that The Circle movie didn’t live up to the hype. I will still see it, as I read the book and found it entertaining. I was hoping for the same from the film.
Watson’s portrayal of Mae Holland in the film adeptly delves into the ethical dilemmas surrounding transparency, surveillance, and the digital age. The movie raises pertinent questions about the trade-offs between connectivity and privacy in our modern world. This is a review https://www.emmawatson.net/the-circle/ of this film from a fan site
Watson’s portrayal of Mae Holland in the film adeptly delves into the ethical dilemmas surrounding transparency, surveillance, and the digital age. The movie raises pertinent questions about the trade-offs between connectivity and privacy in our modern world.