What Critics Are Saying About 'Social Network' Sequel

The first reviews for The Social Reckoning are in!

The new movie is a follow-up to the 2010 hit The Social Network, with Jeremy Strong taking over the role of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg from Jesse Eisenberg.

Jeremy Allen White stars as former Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, while Mikey Madison plays Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.

The movie was written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, who won an Oscar for writing The Social Network.

With the movie arriving in theaters this week, critics are sharing their thoughts, and many are comparing it to the acclaimed original.

Keep reading to find out what critics are saying about The Social Reckoning…

What are critics saying about The Social Reckoning?

The Social Reckoning currently has a 67% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes across 39 reviews as of Wednesday (October 7).

The early response to The Social Reckoning has been mixed, with critics praising the cast while debating whether the movie lives up to The Social Network.

Consequence gave the movie a B+, praising Aaron‘s ability to make complicated subjects accessible and calling the topics explored in the movie “incredibly important.”

NME gave the movie four out of five stars, saying it isn’t the same “instant classic” as its predecessor but calling it a “fine follow-up.”

Houston Chronicle critic Cary Darling praised Jeremy Strong‘s performance as Mark Zuckerberg in a four out of five star review, describing his portrayal as a man with “about as much empathy as a saltwater crocodile.”

Other critics were much less enthusiastic.

Collider gave the movie a 7/10 while calling it a “clear downgrade from The Social Network,” though the review noted that Aaron‘s fans may still enjoy it.

Yahoo criticized the movie for lacking the “verve” that made the original stand the test of time.

Silver Screen Riot gave the movie a C-, writing, “The Social Network is a brilliant film. The Social Reckoning is decidedly not.”

Slant Magazine gave the movie 1.5 out of four stars, criticizing Aaron‘s direction and arguing that he struggles to capture the rhythm of his own writing.

Bleeding Cool gave it a 5.5/10, calling the movie “a bit of a slog,” while Loud and Clear Reviews gave it 2.5 out of five stars, praising the leading stars but criticizing Aaron‘s “pedestrian, boring” screenplay and “mediocre” direction.

IndieWire provided a scathing D+ review, saying it offers “bad performances and an even lousier script.”

Despite the divided response to the movie itself, Jeremy Strong‘s performance as Mark Zuckerberg has received praise from several critics. Metro gave the movie three out of five stars but said Jeremy “walks away with the movie.”

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What is The Social Reckoning about?

The R-rated movie takes place years after the events depicted in The Social Network and focuses on the reporting behind the Facebook Files.

Jeremy Allen White plays Jeff Horwitz, the journalist whose reporting examined internal Facebook documents provided by whistleblower Frances Haugen, played by Mikey Madison.

Jeremy Strong portrays Mark Zuckerberg in the movie.

The movie opens in theaters on Friday, October 9.

Find out what critics are saying about another movie coming out soon about the tech world, Artificial.

Posted To:Aaron Sorkin Jeremy Allen White Jeremy Strong Mark Zuckerberg Mikey Madison Movies The Social Network The Social Reckoning