On another episode of filmmakers don't know what computers look like...
Matias, in a rocky relationship with his deaf girlfriend Amaya, buys a new computer from craigslist to develop an app called papaya to turn his words into sign for her. His friends decide to do games night online via skype, so appropriate for today's climate, however Matias is having issues with his computer crashing. As the movie goes on it is revealed that Matias wasn't telling the truth and he must save his friends from an evil dark web-based group of rich psychopaths to rescue his girlfriend.
The movie is very light on gore and interesting kills especially compared to the first movie. I think the decision to tie it to the unfriended movie was only so they could use the same computer interface. The characters weren't very well developed or interesting. I was glad to see a few characters that were not white and an LGBT couple.
The story was not very believable and unfolded way too fast. The drama around amaya and matias was so boring and forced. Matias isn't a very good boyfriend also. There are some logical leaps and things that don't make sense, like matias app being used to contact amaya when he's riding his bike to come meet her. I wonder how they even worked as a couple enough to fall in love because he can't sign at all.
The computer effects were decent but inaccurate. You can't get fb notifications if you are signed out. Messenger cannot be a floating window. You cant stay in a video chat if all your apps crash etc. The poor decisions in this movie really killed it for me, aside from knowing it would be bad it was worse than I thought it would be. Do not watch.
If you want to see a good movie that utilises a computer interface watch Searching.
I'm shocked. A balls deep, nonplussing emotional, clever horror trip with some shocks and pleasant punches. It seems studios are taking a look at their failed first installments, i.e. Ouija, now Unfriended, and actually making the effort to improve upon what didn't work. I say, it's a welcome surprise. From the trailer alone, I wanted nothing to do with Dark Web, I was laughing at the concept (and screaming at the normies), but meanwhile praising the teaser of similar project Searching. I walked in this expecting to hate it, but as it slowly built up, I found myself enjoying it. Stephen Susco's directorial debut, who he previously wrote the two Grudge remakes, pulls so meaty and slick twists. I'm not sure how much research he did into the dark web, but he kept the reality faithful enough with only taking a few liberties. It still bugs me they use the glitchy static whenever something evil is "on-screen." It wouldn't distort, it would just lag and buffer. But the nitpicks aside, they go it where it counts. They even implemented Remote Desktop Control, I love it. The type of blocking Susco implements with programs being open and shit made me roll my head back smiling at how ingenious some of it was. A livestream would be open on one tab will be playing a camera from one angle, but then on another tab hidden under in the corner will start showing something moving on same stream, meanwhile a message comes up in the other corner of the screen. It's difficult to explain, this was an elaborate set up, I can't imagine pulling all these elements together, but that part where Serena has to pick between her girlfriend or her mom had me rolling. But said having said that, it could lead into one of the bigger issues with movie, and I didn't much care for the six lead characters. Oh, they sure try, they try to make me care, and it works at a few parts. But, half the time, despite how evil (and grossly unrealistic) their actions, I was rooting for the Charon's to take the step further. Come on, hacking into Aj's computer and playing a shotgun cock sound as his house is getting swatted so he gets shot? Terrible, but I was near screaming in the theater. I won't say anything else they do, but it gets way better. There wasn't as much violence as I expected (hardly any blood), but the fast pace and twisted scenarios sufficed any bloodshed. Susco outdid himself on the direction. Just a mouse cursor spinning rapidly to capture the emotions of the character you can't see on camera, little details like that make this brilliant. It's full of 'em. If you were having any doubts about this like I was, it could surprise you. A fun and stirring little experience. Based on the ending, it really should've been called Game Night. Guess they had to change it after another release came out this year.
Review by ALAMLEDPVIP 5BlockedParent2023-01-19T10:59:00Z
Unfriended: Dark Web is the follow-up to 2014's Unfriended and tells the story of Matias, a man who finds a laptop without an owner and starts receiving strange messages from anonymous people. When the real owner of the laptop contacts Matias, he reveals that he is part of a dangerous cyber hacking group who are willing to kill to get their property back. Matias and his friends are drawn into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse as the group holds his deaf girlfriend, Amaya, as an unwitting hostage.
The movie explores the darker side of the internet, with the threat being rooted in the real world. The characters are confined to their own rooms, appearing on a group Skype call, which adds to the realism of the story. The performances are solid and the initial mystery element is strong, but the rushed and generic ending undermines the good work established in the movie. Although it's not entirely scary, the realism of the story can be unsettling. Overall, it's an improvement over the first Unfriended movie, but the final act falls short.
Unfriended: Dark Web es la continuación de Unfriended de 2014 y cuenta la historia de Matías, un hombre que encuentra una computadora portátil sin dueño y comienza a recibir mensajes extraños de personas anónimas. Cuando el verdadero propietario de la computadora portátil contacta a Matías, le revela que es parte de un peligroso grupo de piratas cibernéticos que está dispuesto a matar para recuperar su propiedad. Matías y sus amigos se ven envueltos en un juego mortal del gato y el ratón mientras el grupo retiene a su novia sorda, Amaya, como rehén involuntario.
La película explora el lado más oscuro de Internet, con la amenaza arraigada en el mundo real. Los personajes están confinados en sus propias habitaciones y aparecen en una llamada grupal de Skype, lo que aumenta el realismo de la historia. Las actuaciones son sólidas y el elemento de misterio inicial es fuerte, pero el final apresurado y genérico socava el buen trabajo establecido en la película. Aunque no es del todo aterrador, el realismo de la historia puede ser inquietante. En general, es una mejora con respecto a la primera película de Unfriended, pero el acto final se queda corto.