'The Social Reckoning' Review: Zuckerberg, Facebook are the enemy in preachy slop disguised as journo drama

In the era of Trump 2.0, the tech titans once championed by the liberal left have been ostracized for the appearance of embracing or bending the knee to President Donald Trump after the 2024 election, whether it be Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos or — in this particular case — Mark Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook and the CEO of Meta, was famously depicted on the big screen in the 2010 film, "The Social Network," which followed his creation of the culture-reshaping social media platform from his Harvard dorm room and the lawsuits that ensued after.

Directed by David Fincher, written by Aaron Sorkin and with dead ringer Jesse Eisenberg playing Zuckerberg, the trio delivered one of this century's greatest films that truly captured the zeitgeist of the emerging digital age.

Sorkin won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and both Fincher and Eisenberg scored nominations in their respective categories.

But 16 years later, what's been billed as a sequel to "The Social Network" only tarnishes its legacy.

DIGGER REVIEW: TOM CRUISE DESTROYS THE PLANET IN ALEJANDRO IÑÁRRITU'S GRANDIOSE, MESSY POLITICAL SATIRE For "The Social Reckoning," neither Fincher nor Eisenberg chose to return, leaving Sorkin to both write and direct the sequel that no one really asked for and cast Jeremy Strong ("Succession," "The Apprentice") as Zuckerberg.

The sequel revisits the Wall Street Journal's bombshell series of reports dubbed "The Facebook Files," spearheaded by investigative reporter Jeff Horowitz (Jeremy Allen White) and Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison).

The uncovered dirt ranged from Facebook implementing algorithms that drove its users to join hate groups to the company knowing about the toxicity of Instagram on the mental health of young girls .

Most of us can agree that social media platforms broadly, not just Facebook, have negative impacts on society, while also having benefits.

What was previously reported about Facebook has been a stain on the company.

And maybe that does warrant a movie.

What's disagreeable is the narrow universe Sorkin creates, one where Facebook, and only Facebook, is responsible for fomenting right-wing radicalism and that left-wing radicalism is nonexistent. ‘PRIMETIME’ REVIEW: ROBERT PATTINSON CHANNELS CHRIS HANSEN IN RIVETING DRAMATIZATION OF ‘TO CATCH A PREDATOR’ In the film, Haugen, the Facebook data scientist who made waves when she came forward in 2021 , is haunted by a former friend, who she described as once being a "progressive" but has been radicalized by the platform becoming an unhinged racist.

The film also blames Facebook for the spread of QAnon conspiracy theories and vaccine "lies," as well as Jan.

6.