Steve Jobs - iGenius - DVD

Film: Steve Jobs (1955-2011) was arguably one of the most significant entrepreneurs of recent decades. His innovations have had a comprehensive and lasting impact on our society. The way we use our computers, archive our music, make mobile phone calls or consume electronic books and videos would certainly look very different today without the innovative spirit and entrepreneurial courage of Steve Jobs. But who was this man who popularized the concept of the home computer in the first place, who at an initial peak of his success left the company he founded, Apple, invested millions in an animation studio that years later became an unparalleled success story with films like Toy Story and Finding Nemo, and who succumbed to cancer far too early a few years after returning to Apple?

Steve Jobs - iGenius is a very interesting documentary in itself that seeks to answer that question. The film looks at many aspects of the tech icon's life, focusing of course on his professional career. The problem is that it takes just 53 minutes to do so. And that is simply far too little for an eventful life that has brought with it constant ups and downs, especially from a professional point of view. On the basis of numerous interviews with people who worked with Jobs, who knew him privately or whose lives were strongly influenced by his work, as well as with the help of numerous archive material, an engaging picture of the man is drawn, which, however, unfortunately remains far too superficial to really do justice to his work and his life.

In addition, the film refrains from any form of critical questioning, which would certainly have been appropriate and interesting for some aspects of Apple's corporate policy. Instead, Steve Jobs - iGenius too often feels like an Apple commercial that only criticizes the people who tried to put obstacles in Jobs' way time and time again. What makes the film nevertheless very interesting is simply the fact that it shows very nicely the extent to which the work of Steve Jobs has had an influence on the entire entertainment industry and also on the professional as well as private everyday life of many people around the world. To stand alone, the documentary is too superficial, but as a complement to the biography of Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs - iGenius is well worth watching despite its weaknesses.

Picture + Sound: Since the documentary is primarily a compilation of archival footage and photos, the picture quality also varies depending on the quality of the source material. In the more current interviews, the DVD convinces with a decent image sharpness and coherent coloring. The audio, which is in stereo, is dominated by the voice-over commentary or the interviews and music. For a TV documentary, this is perfectly adequate. Good!

Extras: Bonus material has the DVD not to offer.

Conclusion: Steve Jobs - iGenius is an interesting, but due to the short running time unfortunately also quite superficial documentary about the career of Steve Jobs. The film, compiled from numerous archive footage and more recent interviews, touches on many topics without ever really going into depth. It's perfectly adequate for a rough overview, but those looking for more information will have to reach for the biography or other sources

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp