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The Circle - film review

I think Eggers (the author) thought of highlighting the negative consequence of a cult like following.  In this case the cult is the Silicon Valley type.  What you say is this stereo?  I mean stereotype?  In this book and the movie adaptation that I watched we look at the 'connect humanity with no privacy' concept being promoted as an extreme.

The story essentially takes a jab at any of the large and well known brands that originated in the valley - from Facebook, to Apple to Tesla to the recently controversial Google, showing how the culture converts the fresh guppies (newly indoctrinated staff) into swimming in the kool aid tank.  To the point that 'original thought' is merely a paradigm that gets relegated to theory in an ironic twist where the published motto is oft a variation of 'think different'.

The movie has many scenes bordering on nonsense or frankly criminal in today's world but again I think the author (to give him the benefit of doubt) took liberties to exaggerate the what if.  No finesse there however.  It seemed like a 'Bravo reality show' meets 'Julian Assange' plot.

That said the tale is more fantastical than a wake up call because it does not suggest a way to solve for the inevitable march of humanity to be hyper connected using digital tech.  It merely posits a point of view and then drops off into another what if scene before it ends.  Sort of like flying off on a tangent to a circle rather than bringing the story back full circle.  But hey - I did not pay to make it - although I did spend a couple bucks to see it.

I am not a fan of the woman in the cast.   I do not believe I have seen her before on screen.  Tom Hanks is probably hired as another lead in the film to sell the project more than for his true acting prowess.   On the whole 2 out of 5 balloons.

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