7 movie ideas about the internet better than ‘The Fifth Estate’

By CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

11 years ago

041_FE-00453R-041 Daniel BrŸhl (left) and Benedict Cumberbatch star as Daniel Domscheit-Berg and Julian Assange, respectively, in DreamWorks PicturesÕ ÒThe Fifth Estate.Ó A dramatic thriller based on true events, ÒThe Fifth EstateÓ reveals the quest to expose the deceptions and corruptions of power that turned an Internet upstart into the 21st centuryÕs most fiercely debated organization. Ph: Frank Connor ©DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC. All Rights Reserved.

This image released by Dreamworks Pictures shows Benedict Cumberbatch as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a scene from "The Fifth Estate." (AP Photo/Dreamworks Pictures, Frank Connor)

This image released by Dreamworks Pictures shows Daniel Br WikiLeaks associate Daniel Domscheit-Berg in a scene from "The Fifth Estate." (AP Photo/Dreamworks Pictures, Frank Connor)

This image released by Dreamworks Pictures shows Dan Stevens as journalist Ian Katz, left, and Benedict Cumberbatch as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in a scene from "The Fifth Estate." (AP Photo/Dreamworks Pictures, Frank Connor)

This image released by Dreamworks Pictures shows Laura Linney as Deputy Undersecretary of State Sarah Shaw, center, in a scene from "The Fifth Estate." (AP Photo/Dreamworks Pictures, Frank Connor)

This image released by Dreamworks Pictures shows Dan Stevens as journalist Ian Katz in a scene from "The Fifth Estate." (AP Photo/Dreamworks Pictures, Frank Connor)

This image released by Dreamworks Pictures shows director Bill Condon, left, with actor Benedict Cumberbatch on the set of "The Fifth Estate." (AP Photo/Dreamworks Pictures, Frank Connor)

Impressive work from Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange and Daniel Bruhl as his colleague, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, can’t keep the WikiLeaks saga “The Fifth Estate” from feeling hollow and unfocused with no real sense of urgency.

Here are seven ideas for other Web-based movies that might fare better:

1. “The Fourth-and-a-Half Estate.” The Wikipedia version of “The Fifth Estate,” only with plenty of suspicious facts that anyone can insert into the script.

2. “Deal With It.” The behind-the-scenes look at Groupon would promise to be 53 percent less irritating than “The Fifth Estate.”

3. “Trick or Tweet.” The Twitter story may not be more watchable than “The Fifth Estate,” but at least it would be shorter.

4. “Share and Share Alike.” Rather than making a movie about Napster, producers would just show other people’s movies for free.

5. “Crackle Hiss Beeeeeep: The Rise and Fall of CompuServe.”

6. “Silicone Valley: The Rise and Fall and, After a Few Minutes, Rise of YouPorn.”

7. “Love Is Blind.” Trailers for the Match.com movie would feature Brad Pitt and Salma Hayek. Then moviegoers would show up to find it really stars Paul Giamatti and Melissa McCarthy.

“The Fifth Estate,” which opens nationwide Friday, is rated R.