NekoHomey
Purely Joyful Movie!
Stoutor
It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.
Calum Hutton
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
chriscorona-design
We learn early in the film that Dean lacks any sort of marketing prowess. First when talking about the short falls of the Segway launch. And then about half way through when discussing how to overcome those shortfalls with the 'Slingshot' launch and beyond. At that point the light-bulb went off. "Holy sh*t, this entire movie was created to help sell his product." I kind of felt used!Then there's his "messiah" complex. He's convinced (or the film makers are, but I'm positive he funded this project) he's some sort of modern technological savant. Akin to Da Vinci, Einstein, etc.... Are you kidding me? bring yourself back down to the Earth, sir.Don't get me wrong, what's he's pursuing is great! Solving the water crisis, brilliant. It could save millions of lives. But I can't get over the fact that this film is essentially a clever marketing stunt masquerading as a documentary. "Look how bad the water crisis is. Look how great Dean is. Look what Dean built. Buy Deans product."
hampe98
The documentary Slingshot's main purpose seems at first to be to feature Dean Kamen and his inspirational and impressive ethos, his view on life and dedicated grasping after sophisticated goals. Although, later on it becomes quite clear that its real purpose is rather to spread the word of the vapor compression distiller, called 'Slingshot'. A machine that can make polluted water drinkable, no matter how the water is polluted, making it very versatile. Dean is very keen on letting us know that the Slingshot would have far-flung positive impact on global health. He claims that clean water alone could empty 50 percent of all hospital beds around the world. This is very intriguing, although, Dean makes it very clear that the machine is facing big distribution problems, which is obviously a significant reason for the making of this documentary, to spread the word.However, that does not make it 'just another infomercial', not at all. This is not a cheap way of getting more sales for profit. Dean Kamen has a much deeper desire, he is looking to empty 50 percent of the hospital beds around the world. Although, Slingshot is not quite the perfect cinematic experience. What appears like behind the scenes footage feels rather made up and camera-ready. This is where the movie is missing out, we are missing the real behind the scenes, what happens behind the facade of the camera. Also, Dean and his many contributions, like founding a project helping children learn science, appears mostly like a sales pitch, however noble the purpose.Nonetheless, what Dean is doing is truly inspiring and noteworthy. It may not be a Oscar winner, although, the subject of the movie and Dean Kamen's inspiring life makes this documentary entertaining and definitely worth a watch.
chloe-18842
This documentary is not only about the inspiring inventor Dean Kamen (Segway, iBot, dialysis machine) or about his incredible solution to the water crisis.SlingShot also motivates its audience to innovate and find unique solutions to problems. No matter your interests are, this movie will satisfy them- covering a range of tops including inventors (and their inventions), FIRST Robotics, the water crisis, dyslexia, STEM/STEAM education, the life of Dean Kamen- all in a comprehensive and charming piece. I laughed more than I expected.SlingShot is phenomenal, you won't want to miss out on seeing it for yourself.
steven-leibson
We just saw this documentary movie tonight at Cinequest in San Jose, CA. It was finished just three days ago. The subject is Dean Kamen, a genius inventor. The man behind Segway. The man behind the FIRST Robotics Competition that's making science, technology, math, and engineering into a sport so that kids are sucked in body and soul. The man who has spent nearly two decades developing a machine to purify water in the toughest locales on the planet. That guy.This in-depth look at Kamen the man is inspiring. This is a man who likes to solve problems, so much that he's dedicating every waking moment to solving these problems. He's part Tom Swift. A small part Howard Roarke. A big part humanitarian. No matter what he's doing, Kaman's trying to help people live better lives either through medical equipment, truly assistive wheelchairs, or clean water.These days, Kamen's a man on a mission. Several missions in fact. This documentary walks you through them. The filmmaker, Paul Lazarus, would like every middle school and high school student to see this film. Why? Because it's inspiring. Kamen's a spark plug of positivity in a world where negativity is so readily on tap.Which would you rather have: a bunch of young people out solving the world's problems or a bunch of young people Tweeting their opinions about these problems? I know which I prefer.Go see this movie. Tell Netflix you want it. Tell Amazon you want to get it through Amazon Prime. But do something positive. See it.
