Dark Web: Cicada 3301 2021

Arrested by the NSA for his involvement with the secretive organization Cicada 3301, hacker Connor testifies before the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court about the events that transpired. He explains that 29 days earlier, he inadvertently uncovered the organization’s recruitment game—a calculated series of puzzles designed to lure curious minds into Cicada’s orbit. Pressured by the NSA to help shut Cicada down, he agrees to participate in the game alongside Gwen, a librarian hoping to be recruited, and his best friend Avi. The trio works through clue after clue, each puzzle tighter and more perilous than the last, and they narrowly survive a brutal confrontation with another participant group. Gwen and Avi eventually drop out, but Connor pushes forward, his persistence culminating in a dramatic power outage that becomes a ticket to a secret world. The prize? An invitation to Cicada’s private party in England, a gateway to something far larger and more dangerous than they anticipated.

Recognizing that Cicada intends to unleash chaos on a global scale, [Gwen] and [Avi] join Connor in planning to disrupt the organization from within during the England party. The infiltrating trio moves with care as they navigate a labyrinth of loyalties and hidden agendas, hoping to uncover Cicada’s true intentions before it’s too late. The mission takes a sharp turn when Connor and Gwen are captured by Cicada’s enigmatic leader, Phillip Dubois. Dubois defends Cicada as a force that would supposedly bring equality to an unjust world, and he reveals a shocking twist: Gwen is identified as a treasonous NSA agent seeking amnesty through Cicada. The capture sets off a tense standoff, with orders that would force Connor and Gwen to shoot one another using an antique pistol in order to earn full membership in the group.

Connor refuses to fulfill that ultimatum and instead acts to protect himself and his ally, killing Dubois’ guards in the ensuing chaos. Gwen is shot, and in her final moments she hands Connor a USB drive containing Cicada’s secret data. Confronted by Connor, Dubois finally confesses that he is merely an actor following orders from Cicada, unaware of the harm that would come to people. As the NSA closes in and storms the building, Connor manages to download the information before an attempt at escape leaves him unconscious, while the agents end Dubois’s life and bring the immediate peril to a close.

Back in the courtroom, the judges acknowledge flaws in the NSA’s tactics but make clear that Connor has effectively incriminated himself in multiple felonies. Yet the testimony reveals a deeper motive: Connor had been stalling the court to enable a broader leak of the private documents he retrieved. The payoff is personal and controversial—Connor uses the newly acquired leverage to extort money, demanding $1 million for each document and the release of Avi. The plan succeeds, and the money funds aid for others, painting Connor’s path in morally gray shades as he moves forward. In the final moments, a message arrives from Gwen, who has now become a member of Cicada, signaling that the world Connor is trying to stop is already shifting in unexpected ways. The film leaves a lingering sense of a battle between surveillance, power, and the price of truth, with Connor navigating a perilous line between whistleblowing and ruthless self-preservation.