The Theory of Everything Review

I finally watched the most acclaimed film of the year and to my surprise it far exceeded the hype. Before watching this I had my reservations. Films that are glorified by critics aren't often as popular with the masses. Since they are often pretentious, impersonal and banal. To be honest, this film has been plugged so much that I felt goaded into watching it. I must admit I had softened before watching the film, as I found out that all showcase cinemas discount the price of all tickets for films that have been nominated or won Baftas. So that was very pleasing.

Eddie Redmayne was truly terrific; he authentically captured Hawking's body language, quirks and jovial disposition. The way he was able to contort his body was fascinating. His performance was confident and unassuming. When portraying someone with a disability, there is a tendency to give a performance that can unfortunately come across as comical. Cumberbatch did just that, his portrayal of Hawking in 2004 came across as ignorant and discourteous.

The Theory of Everything is a biopic about Stephen Hawking - an astrophysicist who is diagnosed with Motor Neurone disease and falls in love with fellow Cambridge Student Jane. The film explores a balancing element of both Hawking's family life and his secular achievements. In actual fact, the film predominantly  celebrates Jane Hawking and explores the struggles and the devotion she gave to her husband, who was rapidly falling victim to a degenerative disease. Felicity Jones plays Jane Hawking,her performance was  mesmerising; she portrayed a diligent, brave and loving woman. My only qualm was that Jane and Stephen's discrepancies were glazed over to the point where there were moments in the film where it felt like the director was walking on eggshells. That being said on the whole, Redmayne and Jones' performances were  respectful, honest, and heartwarming. The pairing of both actors was truly enchanting and they are both very worthy of Oscars for their performances. I highly recommend this film.I am happy to say the film is insightful enchanting and  full of wit and humour despite its supposed depressing premise.