Aaron Sorkin's new film, The Social Reckoning, revisits Facebook's 2021 internal crisis by dramatizing whistleblower Frances Haugen's disclosures and Wall Street Journal reporting by Jeff Horwitz.
The movie is set for release on October 9 in US and UK cinemas.
According to BBC and The Guardian, the drama shifts focus from Facebook's creation to claims that the platform amplified extremism, teen harm, and inflammatory content while senior leadership faced mounting scrutiny.
BBC reported that the film cites internal Instagram research saying 32% of teenage girls with body-related anxieties felt worse after using the app.
The film stars Mikey Madison as Haugen, Jeremy Allen White as Horwitz, and Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg.
As reported by BBC, Horwitz is shown arriving at the Wall Street Journal's San Francisco office in 2019 before connecting with Haugen, who worked on Facebook's Civic Integrity team.
Inside the Facebook Crisis
The Guardian said the story centers on allegations that Facebook altered its algorithm to drive engagement through rage, hate speech, malice, and envy as revenue pressure grew.
The review also said the company did not fact-check political ads, a failure the film links to extremist organizing, teen bullying, and the Capitol riot.
BBC described Sorkin's latest project as a follow-up with a broader subject than The Social Network, but argued it lacks the earlier film's energy and suspense.
The outlet said the dual timeline alternates between secret meetings involving Haugen and Horwitz and Zuckerberg's preparation for a Senate hearing.
"Disrupter" is how Haugen is dismissed in the film, The Guardian wrote in describing her treatment inside the company.
The Guardian said Sorkin presents Haugen as principled and highly capable, while also using her meetings with Horwitz to frame the disclosures that drove the story.
The paper also highlighted an opening scene showing a woman broadcasting racist abuse at police officers, which Haugen recognizes as an acquaintance allegedly radicalized on Facebook.
"A million dollars isn't cool. You know what's cool?
A billion dollars."
was cited by The Guardian from The Social Network to contrast the earlier film's tone with the new movie's portrayal of Facebook as a far larger company.
That comparison underlines how the sequel treats Zuckerberg less as a central dramatic engine than as a distant executive figure.
BBC said Strong plays him as an unsmiling, emotionally opaque boss, while The Guardian said the character appears only briefly and mostly interacts with subordinates.
"Dead-eyed" is how BBC characterized Strong's version of Zuckerberg in its review.
Both outlets said the film aims to put Facebook's business choices and social impact at the center of the drama rather than celebrate startup mythology.
BBC said the movie runs 1 hour 52 minutes and argued that, despite the scale of the issues it raises, it stops short of delivering a decisive reckoning because Facebook remains powerful and Zuckerberg remains one of the world's richest people.
