‘The Social Reckoning’ review: solid sequel to the original social media horror story

Before AI slop and doomscrolling, The Social Network (2010) shone a spotlight on the murky, deceptive and ruthless world of social media. Directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, the film dramatised the early days of Facebook and its ambitious founder, Mark Zuckerberg. Sixteen years on, Sorkin is taking over directing duties for The Social Reckoning, a stand-alone sequel inspired by the events that gave rise to the 2021 Facebook Files reports by Wall Street Journal writer Jeff Horwitz. READ MORE: The best films of 2026… so far! Mikey Madison stars as Frances Haugen, a Facebook employee who discovers a connection between algorithms on the social media platform and the rise of right-wing fringe groups in America. She brings her findings to Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White), a journalist investigating the company, and the pair prepare to expose one of the most powerful platforms in the world. At the same time, Zuckerberg (Jeremy Strong, taking over from Jesse Eisenberg) prepares to face a US government investigation, as his creation begins to stoke the flames that would lead to the January 6, 2021 Washington insurrection. Whereas Fincher’s film dissected the mindset of a cult...