“Knowing is good, but knowing everything is better”
Released back in April stateside; The Circle, starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks didn’t make it to cinemas in the UK, but was instead sent straight to the streaming giant that is Netflix. Is this unusual move indicative of the film’s quality, akin to ending up in the bargain bins of the past? Or is this simply greater exposure for a great film?
The Circle stars Emma Watson as Mae; a young woman searching for both a better job and life. With a little help from her rushed-off-her-feet friend (Karen Gillan) she manages to snag an interview and subsequently the job of her dreams; working for a large internet corporation, the eponymous and secretive “Circle”. Think Apple meets Google with an unhealthy aspiration for growth and which funnily enough is headed up by a bearded, jeans and jacket wearing Tom Hanks. At what first appears perhaps too good to be true, may in fact be just that, as major concerns about security, surveillance and privacy are all brought up in a disturbing, almost dystopian, manner.
“Almost”. That is the key word to describe The Circle. While the film initially brings up themes and questions that chime directly with the current and ever-expanding digital age we live in, making this the ideal time for The Circle to come out, it quickly becomes apparent the film has nothing much to say at all. Every single time it hints at something intriguing or insightful it manages to find a way to stop itself short, much to our annoyance.
The interview that Mae attends 10 minutes into the film was the first sign of trouble. Filled to burst with dialogue that desperately wants you to find it witty and sharp, but only ends up as pretentious fluff, The Social Network this is not. This forces you to question whether you are watching a serious thriller or a jokey satire. A question that will have no answer even as the credits roll. Ironically, that very same interview ends with the question “What do you fear the most?”, a pompous question to be sure, with the extremely prophetic reply being “Unfulfilled potential.”.
This bad writing leads to some downright awkward and laughable moments, with such lines as “Oh my God, is that Beck?” and sure enough there he is, Beck, the musician, up on a stage playing. Why you may ask? Well, perhaps because Beck needs a better manager for one, but also because audiences will probably have heard of him, which in turn should make the film appear more ‘true to life’. Except the unnatural dialogue never lets these people appear as real human beings, just props.
The biggest prop of all being the Emma Watson’s Mae. This isn’t to say Watson’s performance is bad per se, just simply that she was given one of the worst protagonists we have ever seen, with the only thing her character being consistent at is being inconsistent. Flitting repeatedly between horribly self-centred one moment, and caring for the world the next, we are never given any real reasoning behind her character’s motivations or the peculiar choices she makes. She, like many others, has no real depth or character, but is an empty vessel there to serve and move along the extremely thin plot.
That plot does set out promisingly enough, seemingly requiring the audience to engage their brains. As a broad description it’s a dark, twisted tale that has more than a few real-life parallels. It’s also a story with more than a hint of Black Mirror mixed in with a dollop of The Truman Show, except lacking the expert execution of those properties. The Circle is happy enough to just lay out question after question and start a new plot thread every 5 minutes, yet never comes back around to tie them up in a satisfying fashion.
However, there are still a few redeeming factors. Tom Hanks is his usual brilliant self, no surprise there, but his ever-lovable and charismatic nature does work slightly against the story being told here, and ultimately, he isn’t given enough screen time to be as effective as his character demands. Karen Gillan too gives a strong performance, both surprising and surpassing expectations. While John Boyega enters the film with a positive start early on, but only to then be completely underutilised and discarded for large portions of the film.
Finally, the late, great Bill Paxton turns in a fantastic performance, perhaps the best of the whole film as Mae’s father suffering from MS, who is totally committed to keeping his dignity. It’s a quiet, nuanced and respectful portrayal and just about the only character who you really end up caring for; we miss you Bill.
Cinematically, the film does have moments were it looks fairly impressive, with its sleek, glass-walled headquarters set against clean and rich backdrops. It also employs techniques used before to great effect, such as on-screen pop-ups to simulate electronic messages. As stated, it’s nothing revolutionary, but it assists in adding that little bit of panache and style.
This brings us full circle (pun intended) to the finale. There is no way to describe it other than a huge disappointing cop out, that will only illicit incredulous laughter. If the film had managed to nail the landing, then maybe we could have forgiven some of the film’s other problems that came before. But as it stands, there’s no reward for your time, it just goes on and on for around 2 hours and then ends… it just ends with no real resolution whatsoever.
–As a side note. The Circle being released on Netflix almost works in a coincidental positive fashion for it, what with the plot being focused on how technology can mold and shape how we think and interact with others when asked/forced to. Right now, The Circle is getting a bigger push on their site than Netflix’s own, and more deserving film, Okja. Why?–
Final Decision:
It’s both frustrating and baffling that a film with a cast of this calibre and a story, which on paper at least, is compelling, can then end up as such a wasted opportunity. The Circle just uses these important, perhaps inflammatory topics as a smokescreen to cover its lack of anything substantial.
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