A young man finds a laptop and innocently takes it home. In the files, he unearths some disturbing hidden files that he quickly shows to his friends on Skype. Unwittingly, they all find themselves in the depths of the Dark Web and soon discover that someone is watching them and that this stranger is ready to do anything to get his laptop back and protect his secrets.
Released in 2015, Unfriended remains one of the worst, if not the worst film I’ve had the misfortune to see in theaters in recent years. Suffice it to say that the idea of a sequel went completely over my head, even though I can easily imagine that with a reduced budget and a certain success at the box office, it was inevitable to see a new episode land. However, it took 3 years, an eternity in the world of found-footage and its cousins, to see this Unfriended: dark web arrive, with a double challenge. Was it going to succeed in making us forget the first part by finally offering a real movie, or was it going to manage to dig even further into the depths of mediocrity?
To my surprise, it will be the first option. Unfriended 2 succeeds almost everywhere its elder brother failed, thanks to a better script, less annoying characters, and a relevant use of its concept. Even better, while the film favors the thriller aspect rather than the horror, it manages to create a heavy atmosphere during some passages. In a word, the difference between Dark Web and the first part is its credibility.
If the characters are not monstrously deep, despite some clumsy attempts to give them some consistency, they are credible enough for us to follow them without hating them. We go from moronic teenagers to young adults, with more tangible preoccupations (work, family, laziness…), even if, as a result of the skype group discussion, the discussions are sometimes stupid and uninteresting for the viewer.
Another positive point is that the threat hanging over their heads is more tangible than the vengeful spirit of a former classmate. This simply makes it believable, especially since their reactions as well as the development of the story are believable. The film will not hesitate to make us swallow a few snacks, with omniscient and omnipotent hackers not far from having superpowers, but overall, nothing that makes us leave the film.
Finally, the film’s signature element, seeing everything through the main character’s screen, is handled much better. The character knows how to use his computer, just like his comrades, which will allow us to discover the dark web… and its treasures, sometimes quite creepy. We will discover a portal leading to morbid videos (a bit equivalent to what Sinister offered, in a physical way). Even the superposition of the different navigation windows, of the different videos, is better managed, and we are surprised at times to watch for the slightest clue that could constitute a threat for the characters.
Add to that real actors, and you get a sequel infinitely superior to its model. Because if it is not perfect, Unfriended: dark web manages to use its concept wonderfully to give us an honest, credible and gripping horror thriller. I must admit that I didn’t expect to enjoy it so much…
