DEFCON: The Documentary (2013) Reviews

• Lost opportunity

  imdb-487-8815612013-08-06

  This documentary is simply bad. It exclusively focuses on the "geek". Yes, these people are pleased to know each other. Yes, they are also thrilled to be allowed to drink beer. So, what? Time after time, we are told that DEFCON is what you make of it. Really? Here is a universal truth: so is life and everything else. The true relevance of DEFCON (and hacking in general) is dismissed in favor of portraying the event as a wonky dentist conference. Here we have some of the smartest people in the world yet all we get to see is how they get Mohawks, buy T-shirts, and play catch in a pool. Who-gives-a-damn. There are a zillion interesting stories to be told about hacking and those of us with an interest in the subject were looking forward to some of them. Sadly, this documentary tells none.

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• 10 out of 10 on the Smug-O-Meter

  Karl Self2013-09-06

  It's like hearing your mates talk about the greatest party they've been to. Everyone likes to brag about it, and -- let's be honest -- no-one gives a sheet. The big problem here is that the people who are prone to attend a hacker conference are also the least whose "greatest party story" you'd like to hear. So yeah, they've got great badges, you can go on a shooting range, and copious amounts of drugs are consumed. I get it. You have very funny hats. GOOD FOR YOU. WE ARE FINISHED TALKING NOW. GOOD-BYE. PS: This is not a documentary but a 1h50m commercial. I still have no clue what issues are dealt with at the conference, but the recreational program must be hella good.

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• Great doc, great premise

  hunze2017-04-13

  Jason Scott was hired by the organizers of DEFCON to create a documentary about the hacker con and its 20th anniversary. I think he did an excellent job presenting the event. It's always a bit tricky to do hired work, but also stay true to your artistic perception. This one does it right. It's fabulous to see the different characters, motivations, hopes, dreams, shenanigans.

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• At the core of hacker culture

  rosebud0172014-04-10

  I feel part of digital culture, but not necessarily part of the strange realms of hackdom. I wanted to learn about it, and it felt a good idea to start with a documentary about the oldest hacker festival on the planet. But "Defcon: The Documentary" is not only a film about a convention, but about a culture, a way of life, about challenges in the past, and possibilities for the future. (I was especially pleased to see the debate about misogyny in tech circles.) A very rich film, full of sadness, joy, pride, and never-ending debate. Highly recommended... and it really doesn't matter if you know anything about hacker culture at all. Doubleplusgood!

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• Soundtrack ...

  utah_born2019-02-17

  Overall the content wasn't to bad from the standpoint of a hacker "outsider". My complaint: The background music is at times - too many times actually - TOO LOUD. Several of the interviewees-participants could barely be heard due to this soundtrack. VERY FRUSTRATING.