Netflix documentary chronicles a turbulent moment in the life of the antivirus creator, but also presents its paranoia and toxicity
The story of John McAfee he would make a series of films, due to the amount of bizarre events, twists and turns, absurd ideas and changes of direction. It covers different countries, people and above all legal issues, all with a period of over 20 years in which the topic of cybersecurity is not even touched upon. We are talking about the creator of the first antivirus and one of the pioneers of the segment, but also one of the most controversial figures in technology.
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John McAfee: genius, controversial and fugitivepremiered August 24 onwards Netflix, doesn’t seem to do any of this justice. The original documentary from the streaming service suffers from editing and, above all, rhythm problems, showing in an unstable and strange way some of the most tense moments in the specialist’s life. Beyond that, the production tries to glorify and even justify some of his more bizarre acts, while, in practice, he ends up doing just the opposite.
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Contrary to what the title says, many of the controversies are left aside, simply cited or hastily approached, while the genius of a man who began his career as a programmer for the Apollo program, from NASA, to become a pioneer of digital security, it is also despised. There remains, however, a look at his paranoia, eccentricity and toxicity.
This is because the production finds him already on the run when a team from the American magazine Vice accompanies him as he leaves Belize. At the time, McAfee was wanted by the police on suspicion of killing his neighbor, Gregory Faull; for him, however, it was a trick to kill him for secrets she claimed to know about the authorities of the country where she lived since 2008.
The documentary then follows him on a boat from the coast of Belize to illegal entry into Guatemala, and then into the new historical cuts of the entrepreneur in the United States, in Europe or in international waters, with a common element that unites all these different moments: he always claimed to be persecuted and sentenced to death for knowing too much, although the source of these threats varied depending on where he was.
Things only get worse as McAfee gets older and sinks deeper and deeper into conspiracies, drugs and alcohol. As paranoia increases, the caliber of weapons carried and reckless behavior follow, with spectators and characters torn between fascination with the eccentric figure and fear for their own safety while living with him.
Clean cut with blind scissors
John McAfee: genius, controversial and fugitive it gives the impression of having been imagined as a series, which ended up condensed to become a film with just over 1h40 in duration. Sometimes it stretches and passes incredibly quickly through others, which include important information, while it appears to have three clear cores that portray different moments of the entrepreneur’s escape trajectory and the last few years, as if each were an episode.
Those who do not already know its history can get lost as the essential elements of the story are little addressed or left entirely aside. There is no mention, for example, of the pharmaceutical company that McAfee founded during his years in Belize and which has brought further problems with the country’s law, while its not always protocol relations with the country’s authorities are quickly commented on.
For this reason, some turning points end up sounding strange, such as the initiative of being deported from Guatemala to the United States and then fleeing the country with new accusations. It’s as if the pieces don’t quite fit together, while those who watch and don’t know the story get the impression that the connecting elements have clearly been cut out of the production, while some of their characters simply disappear.
Towards the end, the documentary still collects elements that were intentionally left out in the previous arches, but without this making any real sense. The feeling of strangeness brought by this back and forth only gets worse when the viewer realizes that, in fact, the production is doing it to try to justify and even glorify McAfee’s behavior, with the right to unprecedented revelations about his life done in one way. carefree.
The last scene, specifically, becomes inexplicable, taking on a hook tone for a sequel if we were watching a fictional work, instead of a documentary that, many times, sets out to analyze the madness and eccentricity of its protagonist. . It even appears in a closure that wants to be moving and heavy, leaving the viewer with the sight of the ships and, once again, defeating the purpose of the story that the documentary tries to tell.
John McAfee: ingenious, controversial and fugitive to behold
Despite having a constant presence on the Internet throughout his life and thousands of published articles about his history, it is a surprise that John McAfee no longer has audiovisual products about him. The Netflix documentary emerges as one of the most important products on the specialist’s trajectory, but it is far from being one of the most interesting.
This is mainly due to the lack of decision on what, exactly, the production wants to be. It veers between the eccentric and the bizarre, quickly moving on to tension and then to glorification and justification, without conveying any of these feelings in the most appropriate way. Even as a document it fails, because it tells a story in parts and leaves out some of its fundamental elements.
Nonetheless, John McAfee: genius, controversial and fugitive it’s an up-close dive into the entrepreneur’s personality and daily life during what appear to be his toughest years, yet on the surface it makes it seem like he’s living life on high. It’s a clear representation of the point it takes for someone extremely intelligent and equally paranoid, with money in their pockets and surrounded by people who nurture that aspect of their personality.
John McAfee: genius, controversial and fugitive is a Netflix original production, now available on the streaming service. The documentary is directed by Charlie Russell (Terry Pratchett: Choosing to die).
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Source: Terra
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
