Review of The Imitation Game (2014) by Maverick G — 30 Jun 2016

Alan Turing turned out to be one of our greatest minds in history. What he accomplished during WWII and beyond just before his death will forever be remembered, and The Imitation Game gives us a moving tribute to a brief period of his life that mattered most. Even with some stellar acting from our lead Benedict Cumberbatch and quite the proper supporting cast, why do I feel like the climax never quite reached the top of the crest before coming back down the other side?

I get that Turing was a tinkerer, but throughout the film, instead of feeling connected with a character's mind to see at least try and understand what's going on, the movie instead keeps the viewer at arms length, much like the rest of his team until the machine magically gets completed at the end of the second act. Sure we get the machine cost 100,000 pounds and that it works on electricity from being unplugged or switched off and on countless times, but at least give the audience the benefit of the doubt to try and understand how it works with some more depth.

That aside, Cumberbatch and company put in excellent performances from beginning to end. Keira Knightley and him shine together on screen with each other's nuances worn on their sleeves. The importance of the film is doubled with the inclusions of Mark Strong and Charles Dance in brief, but crucial scenes they act the hell out of over the two hours.

Immediately, my mind went to comparing this movie to A Beautiful Mind. While that ended up being more of a love story and look into mental illness, The Imitation Game sticks to more of an espionage theme. Perhaps that's why I still consider the former better than the latter here, but overall, whenever the silver screen gives us a chance to peek into great minds like these, I'm more than happy to sit back and be amazed.