The follow-up film to 2010’s The Social Network, The Social Reckoning is opening this coming weekend on October 9, and critics have chimed in with their reviews, culminating in a Rotten Tomatoes score. For the type of film this is, and how the original performed, it’s not exactly amazing.

The Social Reckoning currently has a 70% Rotten Tomatoes review score from a few dozen critic reviews, which is well below the 96% of The Social Network , which won 3 Oscars out of 8 nominations in 2011, including one for Aaron Sorkin’s original screenplay.

One difference with The Social Reckoning is that Aaron Sorkin not only wrote but also directed the film, as opposed to esteemed director David Fincher directing The Social Network. Additionally, Jesse Eisenberg opted not to return as Mark Zuckerberg 15 years later, his role replaced by famed method actor Jeremy Strong of Severance Fame. Eisenberg not returning was a surprise to Aaron Sorkin when the actor turned him down for the sequel. ““It never occurred to me that he wouldn’t wanna do it.”

There is also the subject matter, which is not about the birth of Facebook, but rather the story of a whistleblower within the company who spoke with a Wall Street Journal reporter about concerns within the company, the whistleblower played by Oscar winner Mikey Madison, and the reporter by double Emmy winner Jeremy Allen White.

What are critics saying about The Social Reckoning ? Well, 70% at least think of it positively, though many don’t. A sampling of both:

The Film Verdict - “The greatest flaw of The Social Reckoning is that David Fincher isn’t directing, but its greatest strength is Sorkin’s script, which the writer directs with greater competence and energy than earlier behind-the-camera efforts.”

The Daily Beast – “Inflating Zuckerberg to a one-note boogeyman, The Social Reckoning exaggerates to the point of reduction.”

Consequence – “Sorkin does have a real knack for making complex topics like this palatable on screen. And in this case, these topics are incredibly important.”

The verdict seems to be that it’s good enough, but will likely not attract the level of prestige as the first film. Not to say it couldn’t end up award-nominated, but it may have a steeper climb this time around.

In real life, Mark Zuckerberg moved on from friend connection to the metaverse (renaming his entire company after it) to now AI, part of a cabal of tech leaders flocking to Donald Trump to reportedly ensure America is the leader in AI development, which has evolved in worrying ways over the past few years with serious safety concerns. We may be looking at a third movie at this rate. See you in 2040.

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