The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

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Tony S From the perspective of "what could have been" that this documentary is trying to paint, it is not that compelling. But it is clear that Aaron Swartz accomplished in his short life more than most of us could hope for in a lifetime. It's also really devastating that such a brilliant mind could not cope with the prospect of admitting defeat to the government. What is most interesting about the subject is Aaron's seemingly genuine altruism. I have no idea as to what the documentary omits, but it truly feels like Swartz's passion for free information was his main driving force. The documentary itself is fine, tries to be overdramatic to its own detriment, and switches to SOPA to such a degree that you'd think that's what the whole film is about. But the soundtrack is decent and some of the moments are really touching, even if the longer it goes on, the less and less you can relate to Swartz on almost any level. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/22/22 Full Review Audience Member Good and compelling. Two hours long but barely felt it. An amazing person, let his soul rest in peace. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Audience Member A thought provoking documentary Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/08/20 Full Review Audience Member The first half of this documentary tells an interesting tale of a young man with programming talent and a lot of potential. It also spoils the conclusion so I will as well: Swartz commits sucide when facing felony charges for copyright infringement. The actions that led to that prosecution make for a good 45 minute story. Unfortunately the second half is a cross between filler and issue advocacy. It features a lot of people saying that SOPA (the Stop Internet Piracy Act) as proposed at the time was a badly-written bill. Which, perhaps it was. But this was not a quality presentation on the issue of piracy and oegislation. More importantly, it's not part of the story other than the fact that Swartz cared about it. In the end, Aaron Swartz should have used a little self-restraint in his campaign against copyright. And perhaps fittingly, the director should have done so as well. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review vincent h emotion-stirring modern-day tragedy Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A must see movie about the power of a young revolutionary genius and his destruction by the US government. The real irobot. RIP Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz

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