Have not seen the first 'Unfriended' in a while but remember not being hugely enamoured by it, though a re-watch is in order. Decided to see 'Unfriended: Dark Web' because the advertising was cool and creepy, the idea really intrigued (even if it is not the most innovative of ones) and it was also part of my quest to see as many 2018 films as possible.
'Unfriended: Dark Web' has problems and is more an uneven film than a great one, but it has more than enough good points to make it an above average watch. Going by vague recollection of the first 'Unfriended', 'Unfriended: Dark Web' is darker and bleaker than that film, with a scarier view of humanity and technology and less of the supernatural element, and all the better for it. If anybody asks if the film works well as a standalone, the answer would be yes it does and that it does is more than a good thing.
Am not usually a fan of the type of camera work used in 'Unfriended: Dark Web', which tends to be overused and abused. To my surprise though, it added to the unsettlement and was used cleverly and intelligently, an essential part of the storytelling even and reflective of how screen dominates lives. The lighting and setting are also hauntingly effective. The writing for the first two thirds provokes though and does a nice job exploring such a relevant topic and the dangers of it, perhaps not saying anything much new but effective in making its point without bashing it around the head of the viewer and doing it with realism.
The direction fares credibly in keeping the intrigue and suspense going, the horrors depicted are done so well, very truthful (part of why it's so unsettling) and very easy to relate to. The story is deliberate but has a lot of suspense, chills and shocks, the beginning establishes the characters well which makes the slow pacing at the start justified and the character relationships well drawn.
In terms of acting, 'Unfriended: Dark Web' is variable, there is a sense of fright and urgency but there is a tendency to overact, particularly when the character writing becomes less focused and instead more frustrating. That's one of the film's biggest faults, the characters making decisions far too quickly and most of the decision making is just so face-palmingly stupid and implausible.
Faring worst is the last act, which quite badly undoes everything so promising and well done about the first two thirds. It becomes both rushed, in story structure, how characters act and not properly tying up everything, and dull, when the atmosphere does lose lustre. It also gets ridiculous to a mind-numbing degree and sense goes completely out of the window. A shame.
Overall, does a lot well but it's also problematic, so a worthwhile and effective but frustrating and uneven effort. 6/10 Bethany Cox
'Unfriended: Dark Web' has problems and is more an uneven film than a great one, but it has more than enough good points to make it an above average watch. Going by vague recollection of the first 'Unfriended', 'Unfriended: Dark Web' is darker and bleaker than that film, with a scarier view of humanity and technology and less of the supernatural element, and all the better for it. If anybody asks if the film works well as a standalone, the answer would be yes it does and that it does is more than a good thing.
Am not usually a fan of the type of camera work used in 'Unfriended: Dark Web', which tends to be overused and abused. To my surprise though, it added to the unsettlement and was used cleverly and intelligently, an essential part of the storytelling even and reflective of how screen dominates lives. The lighting and setting are also hauntingly effective. The writing for the first two thirds provokes though and does a nice job exploring such a relevant topic and the dangers of it, perhaps not saying anything much new but effective in making its point without bashing it around the head of the viewer and doing it with realism.
The direction fares credibly in keeping the intrigue and suspense going, the horrors depicted are done so well, very truthful (part of why it's so unsettling) and very easy to relate to. The story is deliberate but has a lot of suspense, chills and shocks, the beginning establishes the characters well which makes the slow pacing at the start justified and the character relationships well drawn.
In terms of acting, 'Unfriended: Dark Web' is variable, there is a sense of fright and urgency but there is a tendency to overact, particularly when the character writing becomes less focused and instead more frustrating. That's one of the film's biggest faults, the characters making decisions far too quickly and most of the decision making is just so face-palmingly stupid and implausible.
Faring worst is the last act, which quite badly undoes everything so promising and well done about the first two thirds. It becomes both rushed, in story structure, how characters act and not properly tying up everything, and dull, when the atmosphere does lose lustre. It also gets ridiculous to a mind-numbing degree and sense goes completely out of the window. A shame.
Overall, does a lot well but it's also problematic, so a worthwhile and effective but frustrating and uneven effort. 6/10 Bethany Cox