Director: Alan Ritchson
Writer: Joshua Montcalm, Alan Ritchson (Screenplay)
Starring: Jack Kesy, Conor Leslie, Ron Funches, Alan Ritchson, Andreas Apergis, Kris Holden-Ried
Plot: Follows hacker Connor, his best friend Avi and a cunning librarian who find themselves over their heads when forced to compete in a sophisticated dark web secret society’s global recruitment game.
Tagline – We are looking for highly intelligent individuals. Good Luck.
Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Dark Web: Cicada 3301 starts when Connor (Kesy) finds himself needing to answer a host of questions as to how his meant to have commit a serious crime. Connor is a bartender that ends up getting into a fight with a disrespectful customer, looking to get revenge by hacking his computer, uncovering a secret society known as Cicada.
As Connor got further into his investigation, he teams up with Gwen (Leslie) and Avi (Funches) as they look to uncover the code, finding themselves getting drawn into the underworld.
Thoughts on Dark Web: Cicada 3301
Thoughts – Dark Web: Cicada 3301 is an action comedy that is told in the flashbacks, as we see how a small hacker Connor got involved in a bigger secret society that will see him need to fight for his life. One of the main problems with this story is just how much of an asshole Connor comes off as, with the petty arguing with the agents trying to prove his guilt. The story does follow everything you would expect from a secret society investigation to get including within one, without being anything fresh, going from literally nothing to a high society party within one clue. The performances don’t make an impact in this film, with Jack Kesy struggling as a leading man, but Ron Funches getting all the laughs. This is a largely dull thriller that gets caught up between going for a serious idea or a comedic version of this world.
Final Thoughts – Dark Web: Cicada 3301 is a thriller lacking the punch it wants to deliver.