It all started with cell phones. The moment they were invented, various movie plots had to be updated. From there technology boomed and everyday society was give new forms of innovation, breakthroughs that also changed how movies were told.

We are now in the day and age of Facebook, Skype and Spotify. Several films have incorporated these into their stories, many failing miserably.  Very few have captured what it is like to live in this digital age.

“Unfriended” (Rated R; 80 min) directed by Levan Gabriadze, has several great ideas, but ends up being as much of a waste of time as an hour on Facebook.

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It has been one year since Laura Barns, played by Heather Sossaman, committed suicide. She did it after an embarrassing video of her being drunk at a party spurred massive ridicule. Six of her classmates, played by Shelly Henning, Renee Olstead, Courtney Halverson, Jacob Wysocki, Will Peltz and Moses Jacob Storm, have decided to spend an evening talking on Skype.

What was supposed to be a good time turns into a nightmare. The ghost of Barns appears in the chat and declares if any of them log off, they die. The night becomes one of revelations as Barns tells each member about their deep dark secret.

This movie has a lot of issues, and this is so disappointing.The movie wastes ingenuity by being just like every other horror movie out there.

Inconsistencies, poorly developed characters and technology flubs force this film into inevitable failure.    

There are times in “Unfriended” when it shows a film batting way out of its league. During the second act, the movie becomes as tense as some of the best horror movies. But overall, the cons outweigh the pros.

As far as the concept is concerned, the film provides an original idea for a horror movie, one with interesting implications. “Unfriended” takes place all from the view of a computer screen, and any interaction between characters are done through Skype, Facebook and instant messenger chat rooms.

This movie, in general, takes advantage of this a few times, but ultimately plays out like an outdated piece of entertainment.  

When the main characters begin to play the game “Never Have I Ever,” the film does its best at capturing the audience.

Barns makes the group to play a twisted version of the game — the moment someone has all five fingers down, she will force him or her to kill themselves.

The tension in these scenes come from Barns using a simple timer, giving each character a set amount of time to confess various sins.

Watching the characters battle between confessing or not keeps you on the edge of your seat through various low points. The way the group bickers as different misdeeds are revealed makes you forget there is a villain at all, in a good way.

The film does pull a major offense. Any piece of fiction about technology should get its tech right.  There are many times in “Unfriended” you question if the movie was made in the 1990s.

Various apps are used perfectly. Spotify in particular ends up being a form of trolling against the main characters. This being said, one does not download a profile picture on Facebook.  

Various other grievances, including a main character who does know how a mouse works and a misuse of a feature on Skype all add up.

Any film set in one location for the length of the movie must rely on its characters to drive the story. Character developments, interactions and dynamics all become the thrust of the plot. Like everything else in the movie, there are cool ideas, but they all are wasted.

It would be so much more tense if the characters stayed interesting throughout.

The film should have stuck with more character development, instead of a couple minutes of awkward mouse handling and a dumb stock love scene.

Stars: 1.5 out 5.