Minted: Review

26th April 2025

Minted: Review. By Josiah Teal.

Beeple started creating one picture a day every day since May 2007. As a digital artist, he found some success, but nowhere near the success he would achieve in 2021, when his art sold for over $ 60 million. Yet what made Beeple’s newfound wealth so groundbreaking was not just the price tag but that his art was completely digital; thus began the rise of NFTs. Directed and produced by Nicholas Bruckman, Minted takes audiences on a journey through the ever-evolving and highly criticized world of blockchain and NFTs.

In the NFT community, “Minted” is defined as having a unique, individual place within the blockchain (a massive digital ledger to the unfamiliar). While NFTs may be new to the Internet and digital world, digital art has been popular since the introduction of MS Paint. NFTs thrive on “digital uniqueness,” the concept of owning the original code of the digital art. But just as NFTs took over the art scene, worlds collided as NFTs and cryptocurrency merged and mutated, creating an unbalance of artistry and commerce. Through the voices of Beeple, Justine Aversano, Latasha, Kina Matahari, and some of the biggest names in NFTs, Minted seeks to address misconceptions about the rise and (maybe) fall of the NFT empire.

Minted shares more than a bit of DNA with recent Reddit-savvy docs like Gamestop: Rise of the Players or Apes Stronger Together. A hint of anarchy and indie spirit flows throughout the doc as Bruckman weaves interviews between B-roll of mesmerizing digital art. Using Beeple as a starting point works well to ground the story of NFTs for those unfamiliar with the topic. Not every interview is created equal, but many offer diverse perspectives on NFTs as art, memes, cryptocurrency, fortune makers, and reasons for bankruptcy. Minted seeks to share a nuanced perspective on the controversial medium, highlighting the opportunities NFTs create for tech-savvy artists and the potential woes of blockchain banking.

While Minted may not offer as much to those within the NFT space, Bruckman explains the appeal and downfalls in a more digestible format than even the most entertaining Redditors and streamers in the NFT game. Bruckman showcases the artistic side of NFTs, allowing artists to tell their own stories and capture the lightning-in-a-bottle moment of the NFT explosion. Pacing is key as Minted navigates the aftermath of the NFT boom and the fallout from the bust. Fusing meme culture with high art, Bruckman creates an engaging and informative documentary with the energy of a pop culture exposé.

Like many pop-culture or Internet-infused docs, Minted features more than a few notes of blissful nostalgia and moments of rose-colored glasses. But through sweeping music and artistic documentary storytelling, Bruckman can entice even the most jaded viewer into an enjoyable 77 minutes. It’s a fascinating take on an industry that began as a meme, grew into an economic giant, and then returned to memes, yet still finds a place in the finest art museums in the world. The validity of NFTs may still be debatable; what shines most in Minted is Bruckman’s clear curiosity on the subject matter. A curiosity that leads to passion and a passion that engages the viewer from start to finish. Minted may not convince everyone to join the blockchain, but it is undoubtedly an engaging step toward understanding the appeal.

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