So what’s it about?
This Stephen Hawking
biopic begins with him (Eddie Redmayne) meeting Jane (Felicity Jones) while
he’s at Oxford University studying for his PHD and goes on to reflect their relationship throughout his battle with Motor Neurone Disease.
In other words…
A love story with an
unwelcome third wheel.
The main men and leading ladies…
Eddie Redmayne is an
strong contender for Best Actor at the Oscars after picking up a Golden Globe for his outstanding depiction of
the scientist. From his body movement to his speech the resemblance is
remarkable. Felicity Jones has been around for what feels like
forever but this will help catapult her onto bigger things now. She expresses her
love, affection and frustration beautifully making it easy to identify with
her.
In the chair…
James Marsh hasn't done much to date (Shadow Dancer, Project Nim and the documentary Man on Wire are as big as they come)
but he's worked with screenwriter Anthony McCarten, who adapted this story from
Jane Hawking’s memoirs, for his biggest mission to date.
So…?
For those who don’t
know much about Hawking this is an educational and insightful tale, and those who are a bit
more clued up will appreciate the humanity and emotion behind it. This moving
biopic is excellently written and captures the imagination. The story is less about
physics and more about love and thanks to Redmayne the audience will have
fallen in love with Hawking. His mischievousness shines through and despite his inability to speak towards the end of the movie you still feel a strong connection with him. No prosthetics or special effects were used to create his mannerisms or body language either, what you see is what you get with Redmayne and that extra effort (and physical discomfort) deserves credit.
Worth the money?
Unless you have a heart of stone, yes.
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