Some 'external' reviews:
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/the-rise-and-rise-of-bitcoin :
Parents need to know that The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin explores the various ways that Bitcoin, a form of open-source digital currency, can be used. The movie covers topics like the potential advantages of Bitcoin and the currency's ability to grow within the global economy, as well as some of the controversy surrounding the role that Bitcoin plays in the Silk Road, often referred to as the Bitcoin black market.
Plenty of recognizable brands are mentioned during the documentary, like WordPress and Reddit (two of the first websites to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment), plus references to older forms of Internet technology like Netscape, Napster, and an early version of America Online. There are a few uses of "s--t," as well as scenes of people drinking and smoking in social settings. A drug dealer referred to as "Mr. Bitcoin" is shown with marijuana and using the Silk Road at an Internet cafe.
http://www.clevelandmovieblog.com/2014/10/the-rise-and-rise-of-bitcoin-opens-in.html :
All it takes for a form of currency to become legal tender is for enough people to accept it. Of course that's the trick, isn't it? San Francisco eccentric Emperor Joseph Norton managed to pull it off on a small scale in the 1800s, printing his own money that local merchants treated like actual cash, but in general the only money most people value is the kind that's tied to a nation or other governmental entity. Bitcoins, a virtual form of money designed to circumvent manipulation by any central authority, just might change all that.
THE RISE AND RISE OF BITCOIN sets out to explain just what a bitcoin is, how it came to be, and why it's important. In relating the short history of this new form of currency, the film, despite its title, doesn't shy away from some of the bumps in the road to bitcoins becoming a widely accepted form of cash. Considering that history includes such potentially alarming aspects as the inventor of bitcoin operating under a fictitious name before disappearing, early usage of the currency to trade in black market goods like illegal drugs, and several drastic ups and downs in value, bitcoins have done a pretty remarkable job of moving towards mainstream acceptance, even if not everyone is convinced.
Director Nicholas Mross was inspired by his brother David, an avid bitcoin supporter and early adopter, to make this film. David is also a writer and producer on the film. Given that, it's perhaps inevitable that THE RISE AND RISE OF BITCOIN feels a bit like cheerleading at times, even with showing some of the negatives in the history of bitcoin. Not enough to invalidate the film, though, and for anyone just wondering what the heck bitcoins are and why they should care, this is as good a place to start as any. 3 out of 4 stars.
http://film-forward.com/documentary/the-rise-and-rise-of-bitcoin :
Even after watching this documentary, I’m not sure I completely understand how this product works. As one interviewee states, you need to use Bitcoin before you can understand it completely. In what I’m sure is a poor and incomplete description, it is virtual currency and is both globalized and decentralized. It’s transferred from peer to peer, meaning there’s no Big Brother controlling transactions. It also means there are few rules, and the film describes it as a kind of Wild West of economics, though devotees are attempting to make it more accessible.
The film features Bitcoin enthusiast Daniel Mross (Nicholas Mross, his brother, is the director). The film suggests that Bitcoin is transforming the world’s banking system as it becomes more mainstream. While the film clearly sees that it’s quickly becoming the future of currency, Mross doesn’t shy away from some of its darker aspects. Finding a fair and capable trading engine has been a continual problem for Bitcoin, and the government is still wary of its legality. Likewise, the film spends some time on the black market of drugs and other illegal items that almost immediately arose after the start of Bitcoin, known as the Silk Road.
It’s a volatile currency, as the film depicts the wild highs and lows of its value, and portrayed as a mysterious form of money, a theme that the film might have pursued further. The transactions are anonymous for one thing, but its creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, is completely unknown. There is no evidence of that name in existence before Bitcoin, and he has since disappeared and no longer has any involvement. The mystery involving its creator puts its legitimacy into question, and while the filmmakers bring this up, a more in-depth exploration of Nakamoto’s true identity might have made for a more enthralling examination.
Mross, a family man from Pittsburgh, is a passionate though not a particularly compelling guide. As a computer “nerd” turned Bitcoin miner, his devotion and faith in the currency clearly drives this documentary in a certain direction. Despite highlighting some questions, it’s apparent the film is educating its viewers about how Bitcoin will positively change the future of currency, making it more free and fair to use. It’s worth noting that distributor, Gravitas Ventures, purchased the film in Bitcoins, which has never been done before.
It stills feels early to say just where this type of technology is headed, whether it’s a fad or the future. I did, however, just Google the exchange rate of Bitcoin. At the moment it’s 294.13 to the U.S. dollar. The Rise and Rise of Bitcoin is right about one thing: Bitcoin is worth taking seriously.
http://www.movies.com/movie-news/5-documentaries-from-2014-tribeca-film-festival-to-watch-for/15625 :
If you're one of the hundreds of millions who still don't know exactly what bitcoin is, even if you've heard of it but don't know the details, this documentary by Nicholas Mross is a necessary introduction. What's great about the film is that it's not simply an informative look at the digital currency. Mross is there with miners, investors, traders, regulators, merchants and more involved with bitcoins from the beginning, having benefited by the fact that his brother was one of those on board early. And unlike a lot of docs of this sort, this one has really defined narratives for most of its characters. It's not necessarily an open and closed story, as bitcoin isn't dead, but it's pretty close. Imagine if someone had been there making a documentary on Tim Berners-Lee before the world became familiar with the World Wide Web or on Mark Zuckerberg when he was first developing Facebook. Thanks to Mross' film, which will prove to be a really valuable historical artifact one day, we'll never need the bitcoin version of The Social Network.
