Movie Review: “Unfriended: Dark Web” is a sporadically effective cautionary tale

Movie Review: “Unfriended: Dark Web” (R)

The 2015 supernatural-tinged online thriller “Unfriended” was made on the cheap and proved to be a modest hit, so a follow-up was inevitable. Interestingly enough, though, “Unfriended: Dark Web” isn’t a sequel in the traditional sense. This movie is entirely different in terms of story, but it uses the same online-inspired backdrop.

In “Unfriended: Dark Web,” a group of online chat buddies from entirely different areas and backgrounds are eventually caught up in a deadly game involving human trafficking and the kind of profoundly disturbing antics that would appeal to the unsavory types at the heart of Eli Roth’s “Hostel.” The plot is set into motion when 20-something Matias (Colin Woodell) discovers strange files on his newly acquired laptop while engaging in a heart-to-heart conversation with his hearing-impaired girlfriend, Amaya (Stephanie Nogueras). What follows is a nasty bit of nihilistic business that is in part designed to serve as a cautionary tale to our current social media generation, but it also serves as a cynical and altogether disturbing reflection of this culture.

Whereas the first “Unfriended” had a supernatural vibe, “Unfriended: Dark Web” goes for a more grim, reality-based slice of horror. That said, the bullying message at the center of the first picture went a long way to make it a stronger film overall. “Unfriended: Dark Web” by contrast sets out to drive home the unnerving notion that there are a lot of sick people out there who take the utmost pleasure in the suffering of others. It should also be noted, though, that this film has a semblance of a moral center in the form of a flawed Matias who at the very least does what he can to take on the dark web in an effort to protect his girlfriend, his fellow chat buddies, and a missing young woman who he doesn’t even know.

Admittedly, I found the first 15 minutes of this picture pretty boring. Who wants to sit through an entire movie that takes place on a computer screen? Quite frankly, it reminded me of being at work. Furthermore, everything is a little busy and frantic with the constant pop-ups and message screens appearing all over the place. But then, as was the case with the first “Unfriended,” this film gets a little more involving as it moves along. It’s not perfect, mind you. There are hokey moments, a few ridiculous plot developments, some overacting, and plenty of telegraphed scares including the kind of cat-jumping-on-the-window-sill jolt that we’ve seen hundreds of times, but there’s also something to be said for the concept at the heart of these films. The “Unfriended” series sort of does for the Internet generation what “The Blair Witch Project” did for found footage, granted that this is certainly a more limited subgenre in terms of its gimmicky desktop hook.

As for the performances, “Unfriended: Dark Web” benefits from a mostly appealing multicultural cast (i.e. Rebecca Rittenhouse, Betty Gabriel, Connor Del Rio, Chelsea Alden, Andrew Lees, and Savira Windyani). Woodell is particularly effective in the lead. It would have been nice had Nogueras, who just so happens to be hearing impaired in real life, been given a little more to do here, particularly given that this movie is coming on the heels of a more effective “A Quiet Place,” a creature feature that also focused on a character with a hearing impairment, played by a magnificent young Millicent Simmonds. Alas, Nogueras is saddled with more of a thankless damsel-in-distress role in “Unfriended: Dark Web.” Still, she makes the most of what she’s been given to work with, and she and Woodell do manage to generate genuine chemistry.

In terms of tone, “Unfriended: Dark Web” is a bleak and cynical downer of a movie, but that’s how a lot of genre fans like their horror. It doesn’t always fire on all cylinders, and the premise is certainly stronger than the overall execution, but “Dark Web” does offer up plenty to think about. And at the very least, there’s little doubt that after watching this movie many viewers will think twice before clicking on unfamiliar files on their newly acquired laptops.

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