The Circle Review

The Circle is a film that explores the concept of privacy, the connection of technology to people in modern times and how corporations can use both. It's basically a collection of the fears from people that don't understand how it works and touches upon each of them. This comes across as interesting, but many of the ideas are things that currently happen or are worries of things that have already happened. One example would be wearing a health band that tracks your life stats which is apparently creepy, I already happily wear one. Another is that you can be watched anywhere through cameras, that's already a very common thing.

It seems to play on things that people who don't get technology would be worried about. That's not to say I didn't enjoy the movie, as I actually did. It's just that this corporation and what it was trying to achieve are basically things already happening with little care to them. There was also an odd statement right at the end which made little sense and I didn't get the overall message it was trying to get across. I also had issues with the development of characters and that it was spread too far out instead of focusing on a certain goal.

Mae (Emma Watson) is basically a communications or early entry tech support and works her way up through a corporation called "The Circle". She gains this basic entry from her friend Annie (Karen Gillan) who seems upbeat and excited. It's interesting to see both of them change over the course of the film, but there isn't enough development for the latter.

This was also the case with John Boyega's character as he was important, yet left to the side. It's incredibly strange to waste such talent just not doing anything with them and assuming we care what happens despite rarely seeing them. The lead of the company Bailey (Tom Hanks) was actually great in his role and Emma Watson brought some good acting to her character as well.

The look of the movie was well done feeling shiny, smooth and full of sleek technology. The way they'd integrate messages or HUDs over the screen was well done and it was pleasing to the eyes. The look of the cinematography was nice with some lovely scenes thrown in to highlight the San Fransisco area. There were also many topics that were touched upon throughout its entirety, but it should have been better focused.

The Conclusion

The Circle was a fine movie to watch, it just didn't seem to have a direct focus with a muddled message at the end. It was pleasing to watch with a strong lead from Emma Watson and a charismatic Tom Hanks. The supporting cast was also solid, but under used so you care little about their characters and don't have enough understanding behind certain events.

While the narrative followed many topics that are discussed in recent times, many of the apparent scares felt dated by a decade. There also wasn't any sense of intrigue or mystery behind anything with Mae just learning how to share everything in her life. It was alright for the most part and just didn't specifically have a particular focus in mind.

The Circle Review at Theater with Standard Viewing
Screening Provided by Elevation Pictures

Rating Overall: 5.5