STX Entertainment | Release Date: April 28, 2017
5.0
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Mixed or average reviews based on 206 Ratings
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57
Mixed:
88
Negative:
61
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1
gothicm3rcyJul 14, 2017
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I gave the score a 1 for Bill Paxton, in his final role, he was excellent as an MS suffering father of Emma Watsons character Mae. Mae is a tech for a big company created by Bailey (Tom Hanks), who for some reason is supposed to be a bad guy, however we ony ASSUME he is, because frankly...Mae is no better than he is. The main idea here is surveillance...its a modern version of George Orwells 1984, only nowhere close to being as good...Bailey shows off a tiny cheap camera in a presentation...which you can put anywhere. Linked to a satellite you get immediate access to it....yep it has lawsuit all over it. But the company loves the idea, every worker cheers , because he uses the old excuse that "it will stop terrorists, stop murderers etc....although as we see later it also lets you see your parents having sex in the privacy of their bedroom when they don't want it).
so bailey is bad for creating the idea, agreed? oh hell yea, but wait....the company pretty much ALSO "demands" your free time (though they don't say it that way) is spent with them as well as work time...at first it seems Mae is shocked by this, but the company helps her MS suffering dad, so she laps it up after a while. So much so that she goes "transparent" and wears a camera 99 percent of the time, all the time.
so why is mae as bad as bailey? well, Mae comes up with 2 ideas....firstly to make joining the circle company and also voting, for US citizens...the same thing...and MANDATORY, and then creating a search system that takes less than 20 minutes to find people not on its grid. Firstly the excuse being to find murderers and such...but when everyone wants to find her friend Mercer, who wants privacy, she says "he probably doesn't want to be found"...yep, shes being a complete hypocrite....as she wouldn't care if it was someone she didn't know, obviously.
The public are the people that go on the hunt for the ones not in the circle...and ridiculously, most countries agree to the system, which would never happen...I mean, people running around looking for murderers??? and countries agreeing to mandatory joining a company and voting....without seeing riots?
Mercer gets killed because of an idiot drone pilot chasing him and driving in front of him....and nothing is mentioned about anyone being arrested, though Mae should have been because it was her dumb idea.
So she decides to bring down the companies boss by making him transparent...so everyone sees his emails and such....which we assume are terrible etc.
She promises to make the company better...but at the end it shows a ton of screens sping on everyone, and drones hovering over her while she kayaks....so its still the same stupid company and she didn't change anything...same old sheep working there and the population are still apparently idiots.
oh yea, john boyega is in it....but he may as well not be because it seemed pretty pointless.
TERRIBLE TERRIBLE movie
if you want to see people chanting and following like sheep, and countries making choices that they would never make in the real world.....then ok, watch it....but don't break your tv afterwards
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1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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2
DavidWasHereAug 27, 2017
What could have been a great or at least an interesting satire of social media and mainstream internet culture, the Circle is a plodding bore with bland directing, a wasted cast from Tom Hanks to John Boyega, and Emma Watson giving aWhat could have been a great or at least an interesting satire of social media and mainstream internet culture, the Circle is a plodding bore with bland directing, a wasted cast from Tom Hanks to John Boyega, and Emma Watson giving a performance on par to Kristen Stewart from the Twilight films (not even joking on that). This movie is one half a tired Orwellian sci-fi film and another half an old man waving his cane shouting "YOU DAMN KIDS AND YOUR SOCIAL MEDIAS AND YOUR CELLULAR PHONES!!!" Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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3
The3AcademySinsOct 11, 2019
The Circle. Oh boy. What starts off as an interesting premise quickly devolves into boring and predictable schlock. The elements that are not boring or predictable are completely baffling. Seriously, some plot elements are remiscient of "TheThe Circle. Oh boy. What starts off as an interesting premise quickly devolves into boring and predictable schlock. The elements that are not boring or predictable are completely baffling. Seriously, some plot elements are remiscient of "The Room." This isn't helped by the fact that this movie features some truly terrible performances from Emma Watson and Tom Hanks. There were even some unintentionally hilarious scenes that reminded me of "The Wickerman." There are some okay ideas that are brought up, but overall the terrible execution really decimates any messages this movie had. Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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2
beeanadouOct 7, 2018
Good intended but failed to express the great idea well...Feel boring most of the time...
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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2
MrScallopsJun 19, 2019
"The Circle" is an awkward drama, wasting both Watson's and Hanks' talents and presenting us with a pointless and broken script, sub-par acting and uneven pacing.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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3
TVJerryMay 1, 2017
As a new employee for the world's largest tech company, Emma Watson is in almost every shot of this movie (Tom Hanks is sprinkled about). The Circle's innovative new social media app promises a benign Big Brother future, which she embraces…atAs a new employee for the world's largest tech company, Emma Watson is in almost every shot of this movie (Tom Hanks is sprinkled about). The Circle's innovative new social media app promises a benign Big Brother future, which she embraces…at first. Technology paranoia is nothing new and this plot explores no new ground. As a matter of fact, most of the time is spent discussing the issue and making presentations. The only scene of dire consequences is dumbly predictable. With a sci-fi setting you'd hope there would be some cool futuristic stuff, but other than the basic concept (which isn't that farfetched), it's pretty mundane. The film took a popular theme (and novel) and did nothing with the genre but bore us with too much talk. Expand
5 of 7 users found this helpful52
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3
RichardGonciJul 7, 2017
What a dumb movie! Dumbest line, when the ever credulous character played by Emma Watson appears shocked that the "Cloud" is not actually a cloud! She is the world's worst kayaker on the world's cheesiest kayak. Her ever-vapid expressionsWhat a dumb movie! Dumbest line, when the ever credulous character played by Emma Watson appears shocked that the "Cloud" is not actually a cloud! She is the world's worst kayaker on the world's cheesiest kayak. Her ever-vapid expressions will make her a good candidate as one of the Steppford Wives, when some idiot remakes that film in a few years. And, Tom Hanks as a clone of Steve Jobs? Oh please, give me a break! Hanks waddles through the film as someone you would not be sure knew how to connect to the Internet... much less abuse it! More continuity errors than I would bore you with here. Yeccch! Expand
4 of 6 users found this helpful42
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3
JohnnySeaApr 30, 2017
The acting was pretty good. The story was predictable. No suspense. But interestingly enough, two high school girls to my right, one empty seat between us, were texting the entire movie. They could not go 90 minutes without their phones.The acting was pretty good. The story was predictable. No suspense. But interestingly enough, two high school girls to my right, one empty seat between us, were texting the entire movie. They could not go 90 minutes without their phones. I doubt they made the connection that the movie was about them. Expand
4 of 6 users found this helpful42
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3
Muskrat147Apr 29, 2017
Deprived of all narrative thrills and lacking a cohesive plot, The Circle is just be an all around disappointment, and its talented cast and director can't provide any help.
2 of 3 users found this helpful21
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3
FyilJul 1, 2017
A pointless movie with a pointless story. You feel the intire time the movie is preparing you to a huge life lesson and plot twist, but neither of those ever happen. The ending is dull and meaningless. A real waste of the cast talent.
2 of 3 users found this helpful21
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2
Brent_MarchantApr 30, 2017
Is it a thriller? A satire? Both? Neither? It's hard to tell, since the filmmakers obviously didn't know what they were doing or trying to achieve. This overwrought, unfocused mess can't decide what it wants to be. Despite a decentIs it a thriller? A satire? Both? Neither? It's hard to tell, since the filmmakers obviously didn't know what they were doing or trying to achieve. This overwrought, unfocused mess can't decide what it wants to be. Despite a decent performance by Tom Hanks and an attempt to address issues of social relevance (halfhearted though it may be), the picture's largely preposterous story line, monodimensional character development, and abysmal performances by Emma Watson and (especially) Ellar Coltrane sink this one rather quickly, leaving viewers longing for the ending far ahead of when it actually comes. Handily one of the biggest disappointments of the year thus far. Expand
3 of 5 users found this helpful32
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3
eagleeyevikingSep 4, 2017
“The Circle” strands it’s star-studded cast in a tepid thriller whose inept script skims but never delves deep into a genuinely compelling premise. The acting is serviceable throughout, but the film itself feels incomplete, rushed, and is“The Circle” strands it’s star-studded cast in a tepid thriller whose inept script skims but never delves deep into a genuinely compelling premise. The acting is serviceable throughout, but the film itself feels incomplete, rushed, and is plain forgettable. Expand
2 of 4 users found this helpful22
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2
JB1May 2, 2017
I was under the influence and normally that makes things better/funnier but it was just super boring couldn't imagine watching it sober... Emma's accent ugh
2 of 4 users found this helpful22
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2
SpangleOct 1, 2017
The Circle is a film that came out at the perfect time. With news reports rife with information about how integral Facebook or Google have become in our lives, how dependent we are on our phones, he loss of privacy, and the centralization ofThe Circle is a film that came out at the perfect time. With news reports rife with information about how integral Facebook or Google have become in our lives, how dependent we are on our phones, he loss of privacy, and the centralization of information to these corporations with profit-based incentives, The Circle could have been a film that shined a light into this dark world. Unfortunately, as it spins and sputters along, it becomes increasingly clear that this timely film with some thoughts and ideas on its mind is going nowhere. Seemingly never starting its engine and leaving its ideas undercooked, The Circle is a film that is filled with bloat and poor acting until it just ends with nary a whimper. While not boring and occasionally thought-provoking, The Circle is one of those films that just seems unfinished with the audience constantly waiting for the inciting action to occur, right up to the moment that the credits start rolling. The Circle introduces us to Mae Holland (Emma Watson). A boring girl who seems to do nothing but kayak and work at The Circle, Mae is a useless character but she is nonetheless the audience surrogate into this insane world. Getting a job at The Circle through her bland - but Scottish - friend Annie (Karen Gillan) and meeting the mysterious founder Ty (John Boyega) who is wary of what he creation became, Mae gets inducted into this cult of a workplace, hangs with CEO Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks), and deals with her father's (Bill Paxton) multiple sclerosis as well as having to cope with seeing her parents have sex via a hidden camera. Dumping up exposition for the entire first act but never really explaining anything beyond "Mae really likes kayaking", The Circle (the company) remains a mystery. Seemingly a take on Facebook and social media, the film tosses out attempts to explain what it is and does so half-heartedly but nonetheless throws terms at the audience and companies (True You) that it assumes the audience will figure out what they are/mean, but never holds their hand. While this is welcome in many films, The Circle is not a film that can get away with this lax approach. Not only does it dump out exposition throughout about the inner workings of the company and Mae's family life only to come back and short change the audience on other crucial information, but this information seems to play a role in the story and relies on terms and sites that do not exist. Some explanation - even forced - would be welcome to let the audience acclimate.

In both dumping exposition and not, The Circle builds an interesting world on the campus of this mysterious social media giant that has its hands in everything and wants even more power, but it never seems to really go anywhere with all of this. Instead, the film introduces a new product that gives them even more product, cuts back to Mae's family life and her kayaking, before then hinting at some cover-up. In watching the film, it is assumed the plot will start here. But, no. Instead, we learn more about Mercer's (Ellar Coltrane) antler chandelier that he makes, his fights with people on social media about him being a "deer killer", Mae's attempts to be more transparent by broadcasting her life 24/7, and her strained relationships with everybody. Then, the film comes back and mentions the whole conspiracy thing again but then it forgets about it in time for the credits to roll. The Circle is a film that seems to never start or figure out what story it wants to tell. Is this a film about a company having too much power? Is it a film that pulls back the curtain to show how little privacy we have left? Is it a film that celebrates the lack of privacy? Is it a film about health care? Is it a film about Mae kayaking? The Circle certainly does not know, instead it barrels forward to a conclusion that might finally reveal what it was all about and building towards. However, with an ending to do nothing more than hint at more things to come, The Circle ends and will leave audiences wondering if scenes were abruptly cut off of the ending.

While The Circle never seems to figure out if it truly wants to be a techno-thriller with the plot to match, the film meanders about and seems reluctant to delve into a plot. Representing a lack of belief on the part of the writers in their ideas, the film seems content to just show Mae's kayaking, her adventures with Mercer, her facetime with Annie right before the climax, get used to working at The Circle, hang out at parties, and more. Avoiding the plot and the apparent shady dealings going on at The Circle to leave audiences guessing as to what Eamon was really up to at the company, the film is one with considerable bloat. Beating around the bush to the point that it drags considerably with excessive, unnecessary, and underdeveloped subplots, The Circle is a film that never dedicates adequate time to its story to make it one worth watching.
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1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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3
ethanstapleyDec 17, 2017
Decent ideas but very poorly executed. A terrible lead performance and the film is saved from pure embarrassment with a couple of decent turns from the likes of Tom Hanks and Karen Gillan. A pure let down.
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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3
ViniciusBritoJul 19, 2018
When a girl got a job in a giant company, a company that is getting investigate for crimes, she needs to sell the kind of social media that they created together with their features. While she is in the place seing peoples living only byWhen a girl got a job in a giant company, a company that is getting investigate for crimes, she needs to sell the kind of social media that they created together with their features. While she is in the place seing peoples living only by their phones and the privacy getting sacrificed in favor of the security and transparency that they call. This movie it's an adaptation of the book The Circle, and is directed by James Ponsoldt.
This does have a clearely critic about people that expose themselves to much in social medias, getting rid of their privacy a little each at a time, posting things every moment or showing where you are and are doing to the whole world in seconds. Also they talk about people that doesn't get out of the phone, and kind live there instead of real life. This is the most possible current discussion that they could do to reflect our society nowdays related to this movie, it makes you think in about it in the movie and this was a good point here.
The story in this movie is a big struggle, the conflict that the character is facing is introduce very further on the movie, so before that there is so many time spent with not important things for the story, it does have problems with continuity and the lack of creativity also it is problem that bother so much, the movie goes for simple places and simple ideas in the internet world, once that they choosed to go for this direction the could have thought in some different things, as the same time that this doesn't present nothing new, it doesn't excites in almost any aspect, the dialogues are not smart and doesn't seem organic and natural. The movie does some narrative choices that are so strange, like there is a character that create the whole thing, he lives among them all and no one know who he is or what is his name, this felt so out of place, they could have explained that a little more. The movie is repetitive in the most boring way as possible, the movie is completely clumsy, is like they didn't knew what they were doing. The movie have some quotes that are really dumb, the movie invents new concept of democracy, and that was ridiculous, it goes in the completely wrong way. The character seems to accpet some really crazy things during the movie, things like envolve almost torture and shocking things like it was nothing, doesn't questioning or anything, i got to think that it would reverberate later on the movie, but they don't go further. The build of the character was another awful thing, they trie to do one thing, but doesn't build it.
The acting is ok considering the material that they had to work with. Emma Watson have nice expressions and convince in some moments, she as the main character was a good reason that i was able to watch the movie till the end. Tom Hanks did a pretty good job, he did a great body movement with his character, he speak with clear and firmness, his speaches are probably the best thing in the whole movie. John Boyega is totally wasted here, he pretty much have nothing to do until the very end, and even with that he doesn't have any presence, but then again, it most likely not his fault considering the material that he had to work with. Karen Gillan did a nice job, her character feeling tired and have kind of a journey, have the same problems as John's one, the material wasn't the best to work with.
The cinematography it is cool, it does have some aspects that like shows what it is happening in the computer in a nice way, i enjoyed the aspects of technology showing up in the screen as they were popping up in a phone. The quality of the image while they are filming it is pretty nice, it really have an aspect of filming wich is ok. The camera keeps moving and that was nice.
The soundtrack isn't nothing special, in some moments it works, but in some things just feel so out of place that it is kind of ridiculous.
This movie wastes the opportunity to discuss important things in our society. The story is totally messed up, it does have some really dumb lines and the lack of reaction in some moments make this movie be a not good one.
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1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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2
imperialwisdomJul 7, 2017
From someone who works in the industry that this film portrays, it does so not very well. Uneducated lapse on terminology and the ideology behind social media is completely miss stepped. This is a bad black mirror episode. Although it humoredFrom someone who works in the industry that this film portrays, it does so not very well. Uneducated lapse on terminology and the ideology behind social media is completely miss stepped. This is a bad black mirror episode. Although it humored me. To coin a phrase, not with you, at you. Expand
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
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0
FreddyLives99Jun 22, 2017
“The Circle” is labeled as a thriller, and the trailers would also suggest that, but it’s as much of a thriller as “Saving Private Ryan” is a comedy. There are two scenes where characters find themselves in trouble, by their own stupidity,“The Circle” is labeled as a thriller, and the trailers would also suggest that, but it’s as much of a thriller as “Saving Private Ryan” is a comedy. There are two scenes where characters find themselves in trouble, by their own stupidity, mind you, but they feel so out of place with the tone of the rest of the film, which is light and happy. Let’s get into this non-thrilling plot. Mae, played by Emma Watson, is a new member of The Circle, a gigantic tech corporation. She does customer support, or something, and becomes part of a safe, overly-friendly community that likes to party and do improvisational comedy. Sound exciting yet? Mae quickly gets the attention of the head of the company, Bailey, played by Tom Hanks. Bailey makes Mae the face of The Circle after she hardly puts any effort into her job, and she couldn’t be happier. Bailey is the film’s antagonist, by the way, but none of his bad side is ever shown. He’s an inventor who has just created a wave of small, extra high tech cameras that are hard to detect and can survey the entire world. The idea of everyone being watched by cameras should tip you off right away that he’s a bad guy, but so many people are accepting of this idea, especially our main character. Most of Bailey’s scenes are of presentations, and the millions of audience members who show up for these presentations are all 100% on board with his ideas, when the average person watching this movie probably wouldn’t be… one hopes. These audiences are not made up of actual human beings, they are sheeple. When a presenter has an idea, they’re all for it, when a joke is made, they all laugh, when one starts a chant, they all join in. Whoever is leading the herd can change all their mindsets in an instant. There are too many presentations for one movie. Anyway, Mae has this friend who is not cool with being spied on, and tries to convince her that what The Circle is doing is wrong, but fails. The friend’s name is Mercer, and if you think you’ll forget that name, don’t worry, it’s repeated at least a hundred times throughout the film. People don’t like Mercer, and it’s for a very random reason, but the reason is also completely understandable, and I didn’t like him either. It’s clear the director wants you to feel sympathy for him, but that was impossible for me. John Boyega pops up a few times, and he’s set up to be a possible love interest for Emma Watson, but then he just isn’t, and is almost completely forgotten. Maybe the director was afraid to show an interracial relationship? Bill Paxton plays Mae’s father Vinnie, his last role ever, and he’s the reason why I stayed in my seat. I suffered through a lot of garbage just to see one of my childhood heroes in his final on-screen moments. Game over, man. Game over. “The Circle” is a light-hearted young adult drama posing as a sci-fi thriller. There should have been a sense of dread about living in an age of worldwide espionage where no one has privacy, but the director doesn’t know how to create tension, and this just becomes wasted potential. I could do so much more nitpicking. There are about as many random and unintentionally funny moments as “The Room”. This movie would work on a so-bad-it’s-good level if it wasn’t so long and dull. Though there is an impressive cast, don’t waste your time or money with “The Sheeple”. Expand
2 of 5 users found this helpful23
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0
DALAMANTANADec 14, 2017
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I enjoyed that this movie simply whistle-blows on the ignorance of modern day tech companies. It's as if they try to motivate you to advocate for privacy or else... this movie would become real life. However the plot of this movie is not to be enjoyed. They slapped a few well known actors, like Tom Hanks expecting them to carry the movie to success. The real problem, I think, is the plot of this movie. Lets begin with Emma Watson (1) She gets this job at the circle then starts leading the world. Why? Cause she is a woman! If it was a man, the societal norm would be to make him die or something... who knows what's going through the director's mind. She not only completely eviscerates the concept of privacy, but kills and cries about it and doesn't care. She connects their camera with pretty much everything, even paying taxes! Wtf?!(2) Why does her friend have a mental breakdown and leave to Sweden or wherever? Why does Emma Watson cry? Is this the Circle a secret mental institution or what? (3) A normal movie would consist of her trying to BACK AWAY from this technology and stop invasion of privacy. It ends with her invading the privacy of the infamous Tom Hanks, the only decent actor on the show, but whatever. This shows female dominance, and that they can do whatever they want with the lower class males. To further, the technology can be used in any way they like cause they're basically god, right? Anyways, I would say this movie is trying to make a movement against invasion of privacy, but I mean, that's not what movies are for. 0/10 Expand
2 of 5 users found this helpful23
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1
ThechessrockerJul 29, 2017
One of the worst movies I've seen in my life.

The plot makes no sense, the characters make no sense, everybody is incredibly stupid to the point where it was painful to watch. You just spend the entire movie waiting for some kind of plot
One of the worst movies I've seen in my life.

The plot makes no sense, the characters make no sense, everybody is incredibly stupid to the point where it was painful to watch.

You just spend the entire movie waiting for some kind of plot twist to save the day, but no, it keeps digging deeper and deeper until the very last seconds with the worst ending I've seen for years.

Good actors, good base idea, all wasted.
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1 of 3 users found this helpful12
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3
Markarce1989Aug 24, 2017
The stupider the script, the stupider the actors get trying to act. The Circle is a horrible, sloppy movie with nothing except that Emma Watson trying to be an intellect person in the movie is as pathetic as she is in the real life. But gottaThe stupider the script, the stupider the actors get trying to act. The Circle is a horrible, sloppy movie with nothing except that Emma Watson trying to be an intellect person in the movie is as pathetic as she is in the real life. But gotta give credits to Tom Hanks, he tried so much not to laugh at the entire movie. Expand
1 of 3 users found this helpful12
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3
benskylerhillApr 25, 2018
Goodness gracious, where do I begin? The Circle is the cinematic equivalent of toast with nothing on it. You've eaten toast a million times before in your life; there's nothing wrong with toast, you wouldn't mind eating another piece ofGoodness gracious, where do I begin? The Circle is the cinematic equivalent of toast with nothing on it. You've eaten toast a million times before in your life; there's nothing wrong with toast, you wouldn't mind eating another piece of toast, but when it's given to you with nothing on it, there is absolutely nothing to be enjoyed from the consumption of said toast.

The Circle is a film that is supposed to be some kind of warning about the dangers of advancing technology and the implications it can have regarding invasion of privacy. That concept has been done many, many times before and there's nothing wrong with doing it again. But holy cow is this movie just bland in every possible way.

This movie wastes its talented cast with a screenplay that not only offers no inspired dialogue, but doesn't even set up any compelling story or conflict for us as viewers to care about. In the film, there really isn't anyone who fights against the fact that privacy is being eviscerated, and it's not really portrayed as being a good or a bad thing. Whatever message The Circle was going for gets muddled in the completely dull and tedious conversations between the characters that really don't advance the plot. In fact, there really is no plot because nobody in the movie is trying to accomplish anything.

Visually, the movie is appealing enough, but the choppy editing mutes whatever striking visuals that were present. This movie had so much potential, but it just didn't build a story and I finished the film wondering why I had just spent 110 minutes watching people use social media and talk about it in as wishy-washy of a way that could ever be conjured up by screenwriters. Nothing happens in this movie; you're just as well off going to the park and watching other people go about their ordinary days.

Story: 2
Acting: 4
Script: 2.5
Visuals/Sound: 4.5
Entertainment Value: 3

MY RATING: 3.2/10
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1 of 3 users found this helpful12
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PlinfiMar 6, 2022
This movie has lietarally nothing to say. It has a predictable story. The movie is only not boring for the last 5 minutes.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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