Watson & Hanks star in tech-thriller 'The Circle'
In this film adaptation of Dave Eggers’ 2013 novel, a young woman lands the job of a lifetime at the world’s most powerful and revered tech company, but soon finds herself at the centre of a sinister agenda.
A tech-thriller ominously titled ‘The Circle’, the film follows protagonist Mae Holland (Emma Watson) as she lands a job at The Circle - a fictional hybrid of real-world tech giants Google and Apple.
At a company-wide meeting, charismatic CEO Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks) and co-founder Tom Stenton (Patton Oswalt) introduce SeeChange - a real-time video streaming service which uses minuscule and undetectable cameras; this new technology, coupled with The Circle’s credo (“Knowing is good, but knowing everything is better”), is enough to unnerve Mae about the inevitable human rights implications.
Mae is understandably wary of the company’s quest for transparent communication but after much persuasion from her peers and best friend Annie Allerton (Karen Gillan), she decides to fully embrace The Circle. Mae then goes on a journey from sceptic to devout follower, embracing all of the company’s social networking tools, perks, and office parties.
It is later revealed that Eamon and Tom plan on expanding The Circle’s services, all in the name of transparency and openness, but Mae decides to take it a step further. Desperate to rise up the ranks, she soon finds herself part of a revolutionary experiment that pushes the boundaries of privacy, ethics, and autonomy. ‘The Circle’ also stars John Boyega (as Mae’s mysterious co-worker), Ellar Coltrane (as Mae’s childhood friend), Glenne Headly and the late Bill Paxton (as Mae’s parents).
Directed by James Ponsoldt, ‘The Circle’ provides biting commentary on society’s insatiable hunger for hyper connectivity. It tackles and warns audiences about relevant topics like privacy and accountability and Ponsoldt has assembled an impressive line-up.
The actors’ performances are enjoyable and while none of the performances are poor, they’re all downplayed. Watson’s Mae might be the protagonist but a lack of conviction leads Hank’s Eamon to steal the show. As mentioned before, John Boyega (of ‘Star Wars’ fame) also stars, in what seemed to be a key role, but is unfortunately reduced to a disapproving spectator.
For all of its cautionary tales and messages about the dangers of a surveillance society, ‘The Circle’ plays it too safe and fails to address the matter with the extremity it needs. The film starts off strong, and its warning about society one day resembling the one depicted on-screen is clear, but the second-half spins aimlessly and leaves audiences bemused. The final sequence does little to fulfil one’s expectations of a tech-thriller and ultimately falls flat of a satisfying film climax.
The premise and cast sound like a recipe for success but alas, ‘The Circle’ is too cautionary for its own good.
‘The Circle’ is in theatres nation-wide, August 17th 2017, and is currently airing on Netflix UK.
