Mike's blog: "Movie Reviews"

Movie Review for The Imitation Game

From only seeing a few of the pieces on his resume, Benedict Cumberbatch has become one of my favorite actors. In such a short time, he has established himself as a top tier leading man. His brilliant performances on the miniseries, Sherlock, and as Khan, in Star Trek Into Darkness, got me hooked. Some other larger than life actors take decades honing their craft by working the theaters and doing small, unnoticeable roles. Greats like Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs), Gary Oldman (The Professional), Ben Kingsley (Schindler's List), and Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood), have all put inhuman amounts of time into their careers, and it shows. Cumberbatch has also, but his star is rising much quicker. Like those other actors, he has an ability to immerse himself into his characters and convince the audience that they're watching reality and not an act. I have a strong feeling, that we have not yet seen the best of Benedict Cumberbatch, and that leaves us overflowing with anticipation.

The Imitation Game, is a one man showcase that Cumberbatch was born to play. There are other players involved mind you, but everything revolves around his character, Alan Turing, and his story. Alan's story is told out of order over three different times in his life- his teenage years at school, 1939 through the end of the war, and 1951 as a college professor. The "back & forth" method that's used with those timelines, helps to push the film along and tells a better overall picture than if it were shown in order. Although this movie is set mostly during WWII, there is very little that's war related to be shown. Instead, we get to see some of the people affecting the war from a comfortable distance.

What affected me most, is how well Cumberbatch and the film itself, conveys Turing's feelings of love and loss as a gay man. Myself being straight, I normally feel indifferent to same-sex relationships onscreen. But sometimes, a film (like this one) breaks through that barrier and makes me see past my own personal bias. Benedict Cumberbatch seems to get better and better as the film progresses, up through his final scene where he gives a powerful performance that leaves him and the audience emotionally drained. The little bits of humor that are evenly spread throughout, connects him with his costars. Keira Knightley (Domino), Charles Dance (The Golden Child), and Mark Strong (RocknRolla), each bring something special to their limited scenes and leaves you wanting more. One comical scene in particular, has Cumberbatch and Dance going intellectually back and forth at each other with neither one missing a beat. If I had any complaints about The Imitation game, it would be that the side characters were underused. But I guess that in a biopic, the more you give to someone else, the more you take away from the protagonist.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, of The Imitation Game

The Good- Deals with the topic of homosexuality in a sensitive, non-preachy way, that doesn't try to play the crowd for shock value. Also, the subtlety of comparing men to machines for thinking differently.

The Bad- Hollywood's tinkering with some of the historical facts. But hey, what can you do? Sometimes a true story needs some extra drama to keep us from boredom. Also, I predicted the missing piece of the decoder puzzle before the film did. Who's the genius now?!

The Ugly- It's a tragic injustice that a genius who helped so many people, wasn't allowed to be himself for fear of legal and social repercussions. Imagine, how many people's lives have been destroyed by fear of the unknown. Imagine, how many of those lives could have contributed to this human race.

Final Thoughts on The Imitation Game

Films like this, remind you of what moviemaking is all about- the acting. Before visual effects and booming soundtracks, there were just some people on a stage, pretending to be someone else. Films like this, get to the core of the human condition and generate an emotional response. Isn't that why we watch movies? See this in theaters for a definite Oscar contender.

Rating- 8 out of 10

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