The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz 2014

Kyle Smith, New York Post: May his death not be in vain. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: Fascinating, maddening, and ultimately very sad. Read more

Geoff Berkshire, Variety: A spellbinding portrait of the Internet whiz kid's life and political convictions, which were cut short by his suicide in early 2013. Read more

Mike D'Angelo, AV Club: A system that tries to scare harmless do-gooders into submission does America no credit. In this case, it succeeded all too horribly well. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: A documentary whose chief aims - at which it succeeds - are to mourn a fallen activist angel and rile audiences into rage. Read more

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: See the movie, flaws and all, simply to see where you stand in this digital river that runs through all our lives, connecting and isolating us in ways we're barely able to comprehend. Read more

Joe McGovern, Entertainment Weekly: Talking (egg)heads reiterate outrage over the Obama Justice Department's witch hunt against him, but Swartz's ex-girlfriend adds heart when she tearfully recalls first seeing the ''end date'' on his Wikipedia page. Read more

John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: Excellent newbie-friendly account of a story that rocked the Web's cognoscenti. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: A moving documentary that will leave you heartsick as well as more than a little angry. Read more

Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: The bits and bytes come fast, and not always with context. Still, the loss of a man whose gifts were on the cutting edge is felt deeply. Read more

Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: A devastating meditation on what can happen when a prescient thinker challenges corporate interests and the power of the state. Read more

Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com: Deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary. Read more

Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com: It isn't great cinema, but it's capable and gripping advocacy filmmaking that took less than a year, start to finish, and will introduce a much wider audience to the issues behind the life and death of Aaron Swartz. Read more

David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle: The film not only canonizes its hero - who committed suicide amid a nasty federal indictment against him - but also brushes aside any big-picture concerns about national security and Internet piracy. Read more

Simon Houpt, Globe and Mail: A touching, morally outraged portrait that, in memory of Swartz, may inspire people to ask hard questions about how the new world is being shaped away from view, behind closed doors. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Swartz might be better served by a sensitive actor's portrayal in a future dramatic biopic. Read more

Keith Uhlich, Time Out: A movie that preaches to its rafters-raising choir. Read more

Chris Packham, Village Voice: The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz connects the dots of Swartz's past, assembling a vivid portrait of a sensitive genius with a strong moral sense. Read more

Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: Knappenberger's documentary is smart and focused, homing in on a recurring theme of independence. Read more