In a world where most money-making films are sequels or reboots or remakes, it’s not surprising that The Social Network eventually got a sequel. I’d even say it’s one of the most deserving movies of a sequel, considering how upside-down Facebook has turned our world in the years since The Social Network came out. I had high hopes for this movie when it was announced, but then the changes being made from the original were announced, too, and I got nervous. No Fincher? No Eisenberg? Was this movie even worth making without them? Morgan and I found out tonight, and I’m not sure of the answer.

Even with the best cast, direction, and writing, The Social Reckoning was never going to match its predecessor, and it didn’t tonight. The movie was undoubtedly engaging—I was stupid and had almost no recollection of the actual events that inspired this movie—but never possessed the same bite or even the same humor as The Social Network. Much of that blame fell on one man for me: Aaron Sorkin. I’ve really enjoyed his writing in the past, especially The Social Network and A Few Good Men, but his script here never hit the same flow state. David Fincher’s direction was also sorely missed; without it, this similar cautionary tale felt far more procedural and far less suspenseful. Sorkin’s a great writer, but I don’t think he needs to be directing, too. The Social Reckoning may have been just as important and engaging a story as The Social Network, but it was not nearly as entertaining of a movie.

I hate to keep comparing The Social Reckoning to The Social Network, but while some of the former’s technicals were good and the performances were strong (no pun intended), the latter’s were better. Jeremy Strong made for a pretty good Mark Zuckerberg (especially at this point in his career), but he never got to the confident, clever levels of Eisenberg’s portrayal. Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison’s individual performances and dynamic were solid, but it seemed like Sorkin’s dry direction and Strong’s detached performance rubbed off on their characters, too. I wanted more emotion from Frances and Jeff in a lot of moments and just didn’t get it. Some of the supporting performances were pretty great, especially Bill Burr (who continues to impress as a comedian-turned- actor) and Wunmi Mosaku (lots of Oscar nominees in this cast!). I also enjoyed Billy Magnussen (who doesn’t?), and Alexandre Desplat’s score was good, if a bit derivative.

Despite steps back in some areas, The Social Reckoning achieved its goal of making me absolutely despise Meta, and I was ready to delete both Facebook and Instagram upon leaving the theater. I decided against it; I don’t see myself as “at-risk” of joining a far-right extremist group on Facebook or getting bullied by a bunch of teenage girls on Instagram. My kids, though? No social media until I die! I’ve been seeing that Luca Guadagnino’s Artificial might be a better follow-up to The Social Network as far as where the whole tech billionaire circus is heading, but only time will tell if it’s a better movie. The jury’s also out on if these movies are going to change any billionaires’ minds and get them to fix our world they broke. Smart money says no.