What’s it about?
The life and times of renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) and long-time wife Jane Wilde (Felicity Jones), including his scientific breakthroughs and their struggles with his motor-neurone disease.
What did we think?
Dominic Barlow says: Redmayne’s lead performance is far and away the highlight, not only for being so transformative but also for finding deep warmth and humour beneath the mask. Jones is lovely as his faithful wife, and the film uses some nice visual touches to bring certain moments to life, like Super-8 footage and images of deep space. For the most part, though, it’s a bog-standard biopic that taps off the milestones of Hawking’s life without having a distinctive view of its own.
This film won’t make you any smarter or help you finish that copy of “A Brief History of Time” by Hawkings that you have left unfinished next to the bed. But it will give you an insight into the challenges Stephen (Eddie Redmayne) and his wife June (Felicity Jones) have to face in overcoming the physical burden of his motor neuron disease. And at this it excels. Themes are everywhere. Religion versus science, and the sacrifices June has to make for her husband are big ones. But in the end it’s all about Stephen and June, and how time and adversity shapes their relationship. It’s an honest, insightful, well-acted movie. Go see it, and put the troubles in your own life in a little more perspective.
4 stars