Morgan Lanyon
Stephen Hawking. Whether you can recognize the robotic voice of children impersonating him, or you are familiar with his brilliant theories, you know his name.
And now The Theory of Everything not only introduces you to his name, but his life, and does so in a heart-breaking sequence of scenes with award-worthy acting. But yet, no film is without its flaws.
The film does not really focus on Hawking’s theories, but rather the life he led with his first wife, Jane Wilde. After being diagnosed with ALS, a motor neuron disease, Hawking continues his pursuit in the search for one equation, the equation that would be the theory of everything.
The movie first introduces us to Hawking in his college years, on the night he meets Jane. I must admit, this film is super fast-paced, and becoming incredibly slow-paced all at once. It takes around 20 minutes for him to get diagnosed with ALS, and then the rest of the film sort of lulls on.
It is most difficult to judge a biographical film because it is based on Hawking’s actual life. Of course there are some plot lines I would like to change, but that would be changing the facts of this man’s life.
This movie tackles the difficult scenes and sad moments in a brilliant manner, such as when Hawking is first diagnosed. However, I would have liked the film to delve deeper into Hawking’s thoughts and theories on the world. There are brief spurts of his thought process, but not enough to satisfy someone who was looking to see into the mind of the scientist. It drags along slowly, and barely skims the surface of his brilliance.
I must give praise to Eddie Redmayne. This man not only proved to us that he could sing in Les Miserables, but now he has proven that his acting has no limits. This physically taxing role was delivered in a way that made me believe he had ALS. Watching the disease progress, and Redmayne’s speech slur further and further, brought me into the life of Stephen Hawking.
The Theory of Everything takes on the inspiring story of a man who defied all odds and thrived in his career. It shows brilliant scenes of emotion, but also lacks in Hawking’s thought process and theories.
If you are looking for a film about marriage problems, this is the film for you. I believe this film has earned a B-, because the acting in this film is extraordinary, but the lack of the science in the portrayal of this man’s life leads me to feel dissatisfied.
