Back in 2020, Quentin Tarantino crowned The Social Network the best movie of the 2010s, ranking it above Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, which he placed second.
Directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, the 2010 drama follows the founding of Facebook and the legal battles that followed, with Jesse Eisenberg portraying Mark Zuckerberg.
Speaking in an interview with Premiere (via IndieWire), he revealed:
It’s The Social Network, hands down. It is number one because it’s the best, that’s all! It crushes all the competition,
Tarantino also called Sorkin “the greatest active dialogist.”
The choice is hard to separate from the movie’s Oscar history. Despite winning three Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay (via IMDb), Fincher’s Facebook drama lost Best Picture at the 2011 Oscars to The King’s Speech.
The Social Network‘s Reputation Has Only Grown Since 2010
The reason The Social Network still feels like the best movie of the 2010s is simple. It hasn’t aged. Fincher kept it cold: sharp scenes and tension from the first breakup to the last deposition. It still moves fast.
Sorkin’s script also carries it. The dialogue is quick, layered, and sometimes brutal. Fans still quote it. And the deposition structure keeps everything tight, preventing drift.
The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, which won the Oscar for Best Original Score, still sounds current. It doesn’t feel like a 2010 soundtrack. It feels modern.
Even the subject matter aged into something bigger. In 2010, it was about Facebook’s rise. Now, after years of tech scandals and global impact, it feels even more pointed.
It’s still at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. 95 on Metacritic (via Rotten Tomatoes, as of March 1, 2026). In 2016, 177 critics in the BBC poll ranked it among the greatest films of the 21st century (via BBC). Most Best Picture nominees that lose fade out, but this one didn’t.
The Social Network Will Return With a Second Act Soon
Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network | Credits: Sony Pictures Releasing
It may have lost Best Picture in 2011, but The Social Network is officially getting another shot at the spotlight. Sony has officially confirmed a follow-up to The Social Network, The Social Reckoning, set for release on October 9, 2026, according to Deadline. Sorkin is back, and this time he’s not just writing it, he’s directing.
The story won’t go back to Harvard. It moves on to the years when Facebook faced major scrutiny, including the 2021 “Facebook Files” reporting and the whistleblower leaks that exposed what was happening inside the company.
Casting already tells you the tone. Jeremy Strong will play Mark Zuckerberg, replacing Jesse Eisenberg. Mikey Madison is set as whistleblower Frances Haugen. Jeremy Allen White will portray Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz.
The first movie showed how Facebook started. This one is about what it became. And for a movie that lost Best Picture, that’s not a bad second act.
Was the Academy wrong in 2011, and does The Social Network deserve a second chance at the spotlight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Title:The Social NetworkRelease Date:October 1, 2010Genre:Biography/DramaDirector:David FincherWriter:Aaron SorkinMain Cast:Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, and Justin Timberlake as Sean ParkerIMDb Rating (as of March 1, 2026)7.8/10Rotten Tomatoes (as of March 1, 2026)96%
The Social Network is available to stream on Netflix (U.S.).
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
