‘The Most Hated Man on the Internet’ Netflix Series Review - The Perks of Tenacity!

The Most Hated Man on the Internet is a docudrama that accounts for the real-life experience of a woman named Charlotte Laws, as she engages in a head-on battle against Hunter Moore, an internet celebrity responsible for the creation of ‘revenge porn’.

The story of the battle against Hunter Moore begins when Kayla Laws, daughter of Charlotte Laws, finds herself in a distressing situation when it comes to her knowledge that her nude pictures have leaked online on a site named ‘IsAnyoneUp’, a non-consensual forum for harassing people online. Still within the early lawless days (2011-2012) of the ‘wild west’ named internet, seeking justice was indeed a difficult journey to encompass for the victims of Moore’s predatory scheme for fame. What added to its sheer complexity was that Hunter Moore would purposely connect the social media accounts to the photos being submitted to the forum. His psychopathic tendencies formed the basis of his business model that fed on the derogatory comments, and the public humiliation a victim was subjected to in the form of ‘hate-driven entertainment’ which his ‘bad-boy’ internet persona was looking to establish equating itself to a brand. Not only was he backed by his large following of ‘minions’ who saw nothing wrong in the existence of the website in the first place, but also was well protected by the lack of suitable laws for safe internet practice within the US as he marched forward towards ruining lives of individuals violating their rights.

The limited series brings to the screen the effort of taking down the immoral fame-seeking supposedly ‘internet god’ as he becomes something sort of a mini-celebrity enjoying his attention at the cost of the others. The master manipulator will do anything to get his way with the things his ‘god-complex’ reflects in his personality, never taking responsibility for his actions. It constantly foretells the dark truth of Hunter Moore’s world, including real-life victims and his acquaintances as he climbs his ladders to the national television. Interviews are catered in an engaging way that respects the victims, and the other people interviewed as it looks to tell the true picture of the victim’s standpoint which has been constantly criticized by both the mainstream media and the general public during the time. It was essentially a fight of the victims just not against Hunter Moore, but their feelings of humiliation and disgust and even the unsympathetic world that constantly blamed them for their situation in the first place.

Charlotte Laws’ role should not be overlooked in this fight as her tenacity is enough to get under the nerve of Hunter Moore. She was a pillar that stood up for the victims and didn’t stop fighting until the end. It was ultimately the combined attempts of the FBI, James (a web entrepreneur), and Charlotte herself that staged their coup to bring down the internet, and such is the multi-perspective it tries to provide as victims collide together to stop such a dangerous individual.

Hunter Moore’s entire life changed when he came across an angry mother, tenacious and bold enough to never back down as she collectively fights against his abuse of people’s rights to humble him from a fight, he would have wished to never take part in. It’s as the rolling stone article states, ‘The Most Hated Man on the Internet,’ and correctly so as every one of his actions makes you realize the fact how much his actions had consequences on the victims and his audacity to try and make a living out of it.  In that sense, he fully justifies his bad reputation and persona. 

Final Score – [7/10]
Reviewed by - Devyansh Anand
Follow @AnandDevy on Twitter