Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Data—arguably the world’s most valuable asset—is being weaponized to wage cultural and political wars. The dark world of data exploitation is uncovered through the unpredictable, personal journeys of players on different sides of the explosive Cambridge Analytica/Facebook data story.
The Great Hack tackles genuinely urgent subject matter—the Cambridge Analytica/Facebook data scandal—with a sense of urgency and personal narrative that elevates it above a dry explainer. The interweaving of Brittany Kaiser's arc gives it a human throughline, though the structural choices can feel uneven and some subjects come across as self-serving. Cinematography is competent and stylish for a documentary, with slick data visualizations that help convey abstract concepts, though they occasionally veer into flashy over-design. The topic was novel and alarming at the time of release, but the ground had been partially covered by prior journalism, so it doesn't feel entirely revelatory. The ending lacks a satisfying sense of resolution or consequence, mirroring the real-world ambiguity but leaving viewers somewhat deflated.