Review of Steve Jobs (2015) by Omar K — 30 Nov 2015

50 years ago, the term â??appleâ?? invoked only one general meaning: the fruit. Fast-forward to today and that definition has probably relinquished half of its meaning, sharing its value with the mega multinational technology company known as Apple. We may utilise their products, from the Mac, to the iPhone, iPod, iPad... the list can go on and on, but other than using their products, most people have no comprehension of how much toil and trouble, progression and rejection, people and products it took to get Apple to where it is today, and that is a bitter shame because their history changed the way the world worked, which is a theme running through the Academy Award front-runner Steve Jobs. This ground-breaking company and figure at the helm is given a stylishly complex treatment that unravels the mystery that is Steve Jobs. We know the name, we utterly indulge on his legacy, yet his most significant years remain overshadowed by his achievements, something that is given light to in this essential biopic.

After hearing Universal pulled Steve Jobs from over 2,000 cinemas in the USA, it seems the people using their father's creations were ungrateful enough not to appreciate the source of their pleasure, a true eye opener for a society that just uses and cannot appreciate.

Returning to the film, successful screenwriter Aaron Sorkin delivers another dense story based on a technological entrepreneur, the first being the highly popular The Social Network. Sorkin gives Steve Jobs an interesting and original layout, dividing his career in three stages: the 1984 launch of the Macintosh, the 1988 launch of the NeXT computer, and the 1998 launch of the iMac. Sorkinâ??s set-up allows the film to thrive, but it feels like it should have been a play because the amount of dialogue adds clout to its theatrical realignment. Steve Jobs is jargon-heavy, constantly having to overcome its structure by filling in the massive chunks of time that are missing. It tries to make up for it with rapid montages that have to cover 10 years of development, which Iâ??m pretty sure could be made into a film countless number of times, so why on Earth choose the rigorous and relentless 30 minutes before a launch of a product? Well, after seeing Ashton Kutcher's outing in Jobs, scriptwriter Aaron Sorkin probably wondered whether covering 15 dense years in the life of an enigmatic figure is destined to fall into the inevitable trap of over depiction, so choosing three integral moments in Jobs' career and throwing all these 15 years at those three moments is going to create change, but not all of it is good to be honest.

This rigid, strict format may be easily intelligible, but Sorkin, being the intricate speech master that he is, overstuffs each act with what has just happened and what could happen, and so about half way into the compact conversations, Steve Jobs loses you until what they said would happen eventually happens and we're back with it. The film is confusing because the script is overly dominating, stifling at times, numbing us with an over abundance of dialogue. Subtitles are a must if you want to really comprehend Sorkinâ??s message. But with its complex history, complex conversations, complex products, and complex people, it would be a shock if Steve Jobs were an easy experience to behold.

Michael Fassbender assumes the role of Steve Jobs gradually, bit by bit evolving physically and psychologically until we see Jobs himself in the final act. Itâ??s widely known that Jobs was a brutal genius, and the film gets to grips with his personality quite uncompromisingly that even by the end we cannot say that we can allow his attitude just because he is â??poorly made.â?? Nevertheless, the balance between his work life and family life is fantastically achieved to the point where this investigation withholds plenty of insight. Fassbender just cannot stand still, endlessly shuffling from place to place without ever losing his power to dominate his surroundings, until ever so slightly he reveals the humanity behind the robot, something we get very little of, leaving us ambiguous over whether we can judge him properly.

In terms of character development, Steve Jobs is a marvel for we are fantastically taken from one point in each characterâ??s lives to a completely new place by the end. Even a handful of other characters get their own arch of change, making Steve Jobs as an experience highly investigative and rewarding. As a viewer spending money to see a demanding depiction of Apple's different stages of progression, to see the people who manufactured this company given a bare-all treatment is meaningful viewing. Kate Winsletâ??s portrayal of Joanna Hoffman, Jobsâ?? confidant, sees her boost Fassbender to his best as well as challenges him herself thanks to her feisty yet sensitive performance. And Seth Rogen, like his comedic brother Jonah Hill, has made his first proper foray into dramatic land as Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, and whenever he pops up, it seems always for a quick burst, raises our intrigue of Jobs immensely, especially during the scene-stealing final encounter between the two.

Director Danny Boyleâ??s slick, stylish vision of the world of Apple gives Steve Jobs a vibrant and satisfying illustration. With his talent for montages and his use of video recordings, the film is given an extremely modern significance that is compounded further by the electric score. The ripples of thudding sounds transform into almost ritualistic rhythms where the products these tech-giants have conceived withhold almost a deific aura about them, a notion attacked by Sorkin and Boyle as paramount to the understanding of Apple since their stranglehold over society has come about so swiftly. Most important thing about Steve Jobs is that everything is so incredibly important, everyone keeps saying it, but even though we know it is essential, the film cannot breed the same meaningfulness its source material evokes.

The Verdict:

No doubt an Oscar favourite thanks to the no-holds barred investigation of an important figure, Steve Jobs is undoubtedly a rich film, perhaps a bit too rich that its condensed script shrinks its impact.

â??â??â??â??â??â??â??â??â??â?? 6/10.