The Social Reckoning

In an era of reboots, sequels and prequels, it would be easy to dismiss this companion to The Social Network as yet another cynical revival. The first film was very much of its time, made when Facebook was an exciting innovation, with Mark Zuckerberg portrayed as arrogant yet somewhat likeable in his nerdiness. But The Social Reckoning is equally as contemporaneous. The social network, now Meta, has transmogrified into a social evil, one that has radicalised countless users towards the far right. This is something Aaron Sorkin depicts with admirable candour in this timely sequel.

Based on journalist Jeff Horwitz’s (Jeremy Allen White) The Facebook Files, in which he published damning leaks from data engineer and whistleblower Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), it’s All the President’s Men for the tech-bro era. The story flashes back and forwards, from Horwitz and Haugen’s respective investigations into how Facebook’s algorithm pushes harmful disinformation to Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong) preparing for a congressional hearing. Madison is a world away from her Oscar-winning turn as a Brooklyn Cinderella in Anora, giving a sensitive portrayal of a woman motivated by an unyielding sense of justice after witnessing her friend’s right-wing radicalisation. She and White are a harmonious pairing, like Hoffman and Redford as Bernstein and Woodward before them.

It’s a straightforward journalistic procedural with all the Sorkinisms one would expect: snappy dialogue and comedic interjections between the rapid-fire exchanges. Being so dialogue-heavy, at times it leans more miniseries than cinematic. When Alexandre Desplat’s score soars as Horwitz and Haugen march towards truth and justice, there’s a certain, unfortunate Hollywood cheesiness that’s tonally misaligned with the rest of the picture. And while Strong does nail Zuckerberg’s voice and coldness, his performance veers Sheldon Cooper-esque. Watch Zuckerberg’s senate hearings (or, more recently, an interview in which he boasted about funnelling beer into cattle feed to intensify their appetites) and he comes across more sly in his stoicism than socially inept. Using his perceived social awkwardness for comedic effect is unnecessary, particularly when the film’s inherent messaging – of Zuckerberg and his tech-billionaire ilk being the embodiment of the cartoonish Hollywood supervillain – is so powerful in and of itself.

But Sorkin is nothing if not an earnest storyteller, and The Social Reckoning is a noble endeavour – one that couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. With tech-bros spearheading societal collapse, seeing them depicted in all their villainy is a gratifying experience.

Antonia Georgiou

The Social Reckoning is released nationwide on 9^th October 2026.

Watch the trailer for The Social Reckoning here: