Have not seen the first 'Unfriended' in a while but remember not being hugely enamoured by it, though a re-watch is in order. Decided to see 'Unfriended: Dark Web' because the advertising was cool and creepy, the idea really intrigued (even if it is not the most innovative of ones) and it was also part of my quest to see as many 2018 films as possible.

'Unfriended: Dark Web' has problems and is more an uneven film than a great one, but it has more than enough good points to make it an above average watch. Going by vague recollection of the first 'Unfriended', 'Unfriended: Dark Web' is darker and bleaker than that film, with a scarier view of humanity and technology and less of the supernatural element, and all the better for it. If anybody asks if the film works well as a standalone, the answer would be yes it does and that it does is more than a good thing.

Am not usually a fan of the type of camera work used in 'Unfriended: Dark Web', which tends to be overused and abused. To my surprise though, it added to the unsettlement and was used cleverly and intelligently, an essential part of the storytelling even and reflective of how screen dominates lives. The lighting and setting are also hauntingly effective. The writing for the first two thirds provokes though and does a nice job exploring such a relevant topic and the dangers of it, perhaps not saying anything much new but effective in making its point without bashing it around the head of the viewer and doing it with realism.

The direction fares credibly in keeping the intrigue and suspense going, the horrors depicted are done so well, very truthful (part of why it's so unsettling) and very easy to relate to. The story is deliberate but has a lot of suspense, chills and shocks, the beginning establishes the characters well which makes the slow pacing at the start justified and the character relationships well drawn.

In terms of acting, 'Unfriended: Dark Web' is variable, there is a sense of fright and urgency but there is a tendency to overact, particularly when the character writing becomes less focused and instead more frustrating. That's one of the film's biggest faults, the characters making decisions far too quickly and most of the decision making is just so face-palmingly stupid and implausible.

Faring worst is the last act, which quite badly undoes everything so promising and well done about the first two thirds. It becomes both rushed, in story structure, how characters act and not properly tying up everything, and dull, when the atmosphere does lose lustre. It also gets ridiculous to a mind-numbing degree and sense goes completely out of the window. A shame.

Overall, does a lot well but it's also problematic, so a worthwhile and effective but frustrating and uneven effort. 6/10 Bethany Cox

DARK WEB is the sequel to UNFRIENDED, an awful little cyber horror flick with an interesting and novel execution - told entirely on a computer screen via social media and web cameras - let down by a nonsense non-story. This sequel's something of an improvement, replacing the silly supernatural stuff with a darker and grittier storyline involving criminality. I still found it far fetched and let down by a lack of appealing characterisation, so much so that the novelty wears off around the half-hour mark and things become something of a slog towards the climax.

Matias O'Brien finds a fast laptop in an internet cafe Lost and Found. He's able to crack the password and install his app he developed to communicate with his deaf girlfriend Amaya. He's Skyping with his friends when he's interrupted by someone claiming to be the laptop's owner. As he investigates, he finds the laptop has access to the secretive Dark Web and $10 million in bitcoins. The owner wants the laptop back and threatens the life of Amaya as well as all of his friends.

This takes place all on the computer screen. It's the latest concept in the horror genre. I'm not that impressed with the gimmick. In this movie, the people are forced to stay on screen which adds to an artificiality to the story. There are issues arising from the plot. The lead character is not appealing. Honestly, a deaf person can better communicate with a keyboard. It doesn't make sense that the cabal would let any witnesses survive. One would expect that Matias would close the laptop at the first sign of trouble. Once he discovers the dark web stuff, he should be going to the cops. It's a lot of unlikely plot points to take. It tries to raise the tension as it goes but mostly, it raises my annoyance. It has no scares. It frustrates more than it thrills.