Cryptopia: Bitcoin, Blockchains and the Future of the Internet

Some context to start with: I had the chance to see this doc at an exclusive preview session so who knows if it was the final cut. In my opinion it should be since this was a great "tour de force" covering a hot topic full of history and interesting characters.

The chapters build upon each other nicely, the narrator keeps everything well in check, especially if some of the figures in the movie start ranting. Funny as well!

So yah, if you want to learn about that hype around blockchains, cryptocurrencies / Bitcoin and some really grand ideas for the future, those 80something minutes are well invested time. Also superior to going down the online rabbitthole which is particularly deep and confusing on those topics. And clearly less fun.

Informative documentary if you want a quick summary of the history of the crypto so far. Doesn't really explain how blockchain works in a too technical way, so it's easy to understand.

This is a very intense and detailed documentary about the entire industry. the good parts of it and also the bad projects and people. i need to watch it again because it was so information dense. the production was really high quality with many graphics and helicopter shots. i enjoyed some of the funny scenes that lightened the mood between more technical bits. I enjoyed watching all the crypto VIPs too.

I still see little in crypto, except a way for people to somehow profit from promoting themselves and their hustles. This doc has a lot of fluff from promoters asserting bold, ephemeral ideas and plans as though they are true and the 'next step' in shopping, social media, distribution networks, and money. As much as I love progress, I find it extremely difficult to accept their visions as being anything but wishful proposals they want others to bank.

It provides 'balance' by quoting distinguished but archaic and establishment figureheads. These include Warren Buffett, who famously doesn't have a clue about tech, and Nouriel Roubini, who - besides being an expert on macro economic trends, accurately describing the Great Recession earlier this century when most didn't know it was developing - does have a clue about tech but is famously pessimistic.

Much of it has already been covered many times. The only take away I had, was when a guy said that it's better to be in for just 1% of your total wealth and lose out, than not be in at all. He jokes, that if that 1% turned out to give you total financial independence, to name your first born after him. Ha ha, funny, but also he's aiming his marketing at younger people without kids. In another part of the show, they stated younger people take up crypto much more than older, so it seems he knows his demographic market.

More cynical promotion, to develop a new industry and user base.

There's a lot of babble but very little substance. It doesn't make things simple enough for the laypeople and for anyone knowing anything it's entirely nonsensical at times. Random things said but not explained or questioned.

For example, one company describes their product as "an operating system on top of Etherium." That's it. He didn't ask what that means, just put it out there. Was the point to make it seem entirely ridiculous?

He went to see a vault that has servers and data. No explanation what and why. "The key is split into five locations." Ok, what key? What is it used for? How do they use it when they need to? Nothing is explained.

There's at least some points where they show how much was promised and how nothing was delivered by the crypto fanatics, but in the end it doesn't really say anything. Much better ways to waste time.