A Biopic that Didn't Quite Work for Me

Rating: 7/10 (26 May 2015)

We saw The Imitation Game on opening night and for some reason it was quite an underwhelming experience. Maybe we were on an euphoric high after back to back solid films and our expectations were sky high. I do recognized aspects of it which were exceptional but they couldn't cover what I thought was a very safety glove affair with not much depth, especially for Alan Turing later years. So I didn't want to write anything unless someone does first
Benedict Cumberbatch is marvelous to watch. In all his noteworthy roles, he plays these savant type characters with a serious lack of social etiquette coupled with arrogance. Here he essentially plays the same but with a difference - he is a human computer with a secret. His brilliant performance rightfully deserves an Oscar nomination.
I like how the story is framed and with added context from his childhood years. But as most biopics go, this one doesn't set the genre alight. The plot simply plays it too obvious and the central focus is held tightly only on the human calculator, so much so that all the rest of the characters feel peripheral. At times, because of the homosexual secret and the reverence for Turing, the story seems to play it too safe. For instance, I find Turing later years nearing his suicide feel too vague and everything feels so touch and go. I mean I don't need to see Turing having sex, but it would help to illustrate vividly the shameful period in English history when homosexuality is a terrible crime and how these 'criminals' are inhumanely treated by the government is worst than the homosexual act itself.