Steve Jobs: Soulless Prophet of the Future

Steve Jobs, directed by Danny Boyle and written by Aaron Sorkin, is divided into three acts illustrating three important moments in the life of the famous entrepreneur and co-founder of Apple Inc. The plot of the movie begins in 1984, with the launch of the first Apple Macintosh; then it jumps to 1988, with the presentation of NeXT computer; and then 1998, with the success of the iMac.

Every act of the movie takes place a few minutes before the launch of the products, depicting the relationship between Steve Jobs and the other characters, in particular his assistant Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), the co-founder of Apple Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen), managing director John Sculley (Jeff Daniels),Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg), a member of Macintosh-team, and his daughter Lisa (Makenzie Moss).

All the scenes are set in closed spaces and the movie is based entirely on the dialogues among these characters, therefore many elements emerge from an analysis of their relationships. Steve Jobs considers his technological inventions as works of art. He has no doubt about the greatness of his talent. Jobs has no regards for the work of the other engineers (especially Wozniak and Hertzfeld), because he thinks that he is the only one who understands the real importance of technological innovation.

Above: Seth Rogen, Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet Closed spaces - Photos by Francois Duhamel © 2015 Universal Pictures

The movie explores the complicated relationship with his daughter, since, at the beginning Jobs does not want to take care of her: she represents an obstacle to his career and his personal success.

Still of Michael Fassbender and Makenzie Moss - Photo by Francois Duhamel © 2015 Universal Pictures

Another crucial element of the movie is Job's relationship with the audience. The launch of every new computer is set in theatres full of excited people. These people seem to consider Jobs as the prophet of the future, a genius who is going to change the world.

Still of Michael Fassbender - Photos by Francois Duhamel © 2015 Universal Pictures

This movie clearly criticizes the figure of Steve Jobs. It destroys the myth and shows the man with his ambition and his shortcomings. However, this movie has a flaw: it creates a superficial character, and this is not a good way to stimulate the attention of the audience.

Danny Boyle is certainly a good director, and Aaron Sorkin has created a wonderful screenplay before, with his brilliant analysis of the birth of Facebook and of the figure of Mark Zuckenberg in The Social Network. Unfortunately, Steve Jobs seems to be a movie technically interesting, but without an artistic soul.

Director: Danny Boyle

Writer: Aaron Sorkin (based on the book by Walter Isaacson).

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg, Makenzie Moss

Year: 2015

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