Theory of Everything-Movie Review

By: ELAF PATEL

While Stephen Hawking may not have solved the Theory of Everything, Eddie Redmayne certainly delivers as Stephen Hawking in the biopic, Theory of Everything.

           

With superior acting and an amazing co-star in Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne does a brilliant job of portraying the world famous scientist and his declining health. The physical nature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is portrayed very realistically and the viewer is affronted with the debilitating nature of this illness. Slowly the viewer sees Redmayne’s Hawking lose motor control and hears his speech become incoherent.

The emotional aspect of the movie is also beautifully portrayed. In the first scene, Redmayne meets Jones, who plays the part of Jane Hawking. The territory of nerdy scientist- Stephen Hawking- and confident poetry student- Jane Hawking- could have fallen terribly flat without the subtle nuances displayed by both the leads. The bittersweet love story carried through the plot charms viewers in a way that doesn’t disappoint viewers when true love doesn't endure. Towards the end of the movie, viewers watch Stephen and Jane grow apart when she finds love with her church choir director, Jonathon. The sensitivity with which Jones played Jane helps deflect judgment and invoke empathy. Redmayne similarly displays authentic emotions and highlights the optimism and strength that Hawking is known for.

At the end of the movie, audiences watch with poignancy as Stephen reflects on the various ways his illness has changed his life and for a moment viewers are sure he will give up or break down, yet he perseveres and continues to give a speech about hope that is truly inspiring. Another scene that makes it clear why Eddie Redmayne is a top contender for the Best Acting Oscar this year is when he portrays Stephen’s despondency and his inability to climb stairs, as his infant child looks on.

           

The story, borrowed from Jane Hawking’s book about life with Stephen, is compelling and urges viewers to learn more about the brilliant scientist. The cinematography is impressive and helps make the story clearer, especially when it aids Hawking’s scientific explanations. There is one scene in particular which seems like an ode to a Godard film, Two or Three Things I Know About Her (1967), when the movie attempts to explain cosmology visualising cream in a coffee cup. Even the ending of the movie is beautifully executed with parallels to Hawking’s theory concerning time, where the scenes are being rewound so as to pinpoint where exactly time began.

           

The Theory of Everything is an inspirational watch that educates without preaching and correctly identifies that where there is life, there is hope. Upon watching this movie, Stephen Hawking is said to have been in tears and finally composed two words, that could be applicable both to the message behind the movie and the accuracy of the movie, which were: “Broadly true.”