[yasr_overall_rating]
A teen comes into possession of a new laptop and soon discovers that the previous owner is not only watching him but will also do anything to get it back.
As the years pass, technology seems to advance so it makes sense that more films are starting to incorporate it more now than ever. “Unfriended: Dark Web” is an extremely and eerie emotional rollercoaster. Prior to seeing this film, I did not see the first one but I knew the basic premise. The franchise bases their films, virtually on a computer screen, and must have been a complete nightmare to edit. In this movie, there are six friends that hang out on Skype. Matias (Colin Woodell) steals a laptop from the cyber café he works at and it all goes downhill from there.
Shortly after he logs on to Skype, we find out that Matias has a deaf girlfriend Amaya (Stephanie Nogueras). He is trying his best to sign ASL to her over the computer. There’s a heartbreaking moment where we realize how debilitating it must be to be in a relationship virtually, especially trying to learn how to sign. He eventually gets into the chat with his other four friends who are all ready to play Cards against Humanity. They are all having fun until Matias’ laptop starts acting weird. He gets a bunch of Facebook messages from this girl, Norah C, who claims he stole her laptop. Damon (Andrew Lees) then shares Matias’ screen and exclaims that whoever he stole the laptop from hit the “dark web.” The “dark web,” defined by AJ (Connor Del Rio), is where people sell drugs, illegal IDs, and no one can track you. Soon after, they all realize Matias bit off more than he could chew and they will all have to pay for it.
Nevertheless, the film is hard to follow at times because you are forced to read their fast messages back and forth when they aren’t verbal. However, director Stephen Susco does a great job of showing the audience how exposed we are when we share our lives on social media. These people from the “dark web” have access to everything that Matias is doing online and they know everything about him. I admit, after watching this I was a little skeptical about keeping my social media accounts active. The ASL storyline was very important as well. It wouldn’t have been such an impactful movie without it. The people that don’t really like scary films will also enjoy this film because they do have an abundance of humorous moments throughout.
In theaters Friday, July 20th
