General Magic

Tech/SV tends to glorify successes. It was nice to watch the deconstruction of how General Magic was created and then failed.

Especially interesting were all the interviews with Tony Fadell (founder of NEST), Marc Porat (CEO of General Magic) and their perspective on how the company imploded.

Also, how did they get a hold off all that old footage??

If you listen very closely you can hear people speaking. This has got to be the most stressful documentary I've ever watched. Even with headphones on I can barely make out around 90% of what people are saying..

Was interested in subject matter, but background music was almost always playing over the voices.

This is a very interesting documentary about the development of technology as we know it today and how failure can turn into success. I learned a lot about the development of the smartphone.

It tells the story of a technology company called General Magic and their struggle to make a smartphone, all while trying to keep it a secret from other companies that could steal their ideas.

It is easy to understand. I like how they illustrate things. For example, they use ocean waves to describe the coming and going of companies. The story is told by former General Magic employees, who know best about what happened since they were a part of it.

They frequently cut to show beautiful landscapes throughout the film. My favorite one is a beach, but they also show city skylines, forests and other interesting places. The music is very 80s and helps establish the time period. The message of the film is that sometimes, failure for one person can help another person to success.

It has some very mild profanity and there is mention of somebody being naked, but it is never shown. I give this 4 out of 5 stars and recommend if for ages 12-18 as well as adults.

Reviewed by Kayenta C., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews by youth, visit kidsfirst dot org.

I really enjoyed learning about General Magic. I wasn't aware of the vision this company had, it's seems like they were right about so many things. Very interesting and I would very much recommend this film.