"The Imitation Game" was disappointing. And yes, I'm afraid to say it.

Rating: 5/10 (19 November 2014)

Going into "The Imitation Game", I expected to see what had been cited as the main draws of the film, those being the magnificent story that is told and Benedict Cumberbatch's performance, (playing Alan Turing), apparently worthy of an Oscar, for Best Actor. Yet these draws only half come to define what I thought of "The Imitation Game".
When I look back, I think of how the film told Alan Turing's story and how this man, who had served his country so well, had been treated so badly by it simply because he was gay. Yet I think the film could have emphasised this point better. Again, when I look back to the film, it's not Alan Turing's injustice that jumps out at me, rather it is his achievement that does so. I suppose that's a good thing, but the film could have doubled up as a comment on homophobia as well as on Alan Turing's story.
It's also worth making the point that, as an adapted screenplay written by Graham Moore, having topped the 2011 Black List and based on Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges, the dialogue was poor and I didn't really care about the characters, even to an extent Turing. Of course, responsibility for this also lands with the film's Norwegian director, Morten Tyldum, making his English- Language directorial debut. Yet after the film, I soon found out that the production team was also mainly Norwegian, tarnishing my views of what I thought was a British film and I think that this is such a shame.
What can be praised though is the film's stunning cinematography, for which we can thank the Spaniard Óscar Faura. Those colourful shots of Bletchley Park throughout the seasons did so well to make me think that it was summer again. Yet unfortunately the poor use of CGI to show London's bombing for example, makes up for this. These did well to detach me from what was going on at Bletchley Park and it took me a while back there to find myself re-immersed into the film. I think it would have been better if we had remained at Bletchley Park throughout, therefore not only just allowing for an almost relationship to be built up with the place, but also for us to experience more of those all year round shots.
The second of the film's draws, Cumberbatch's performance, left me wondering what this less charming Sherlock Holmes was doing at Bletchley Park. To be honest, I was almost expecting us to be whisked off into Turing's mind palace at any moment. (I also found Charles Dance's performance, playing Commander Alistair Denniston, similar to his portrayal of Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones.) Yet if this was what Alan Turing was like, the same goes with Denniston, then we can't fault their performances, it's just that for me I found Cumberbatch's performance to be nothing different from what I already know of him on screen. This has become the sort of role that I would associate with Cumberbatch, which I think he should be careful of. Although he does propel the story forward, I don't think his performance is Oscar worthy, especially when compared with what I thought were brilliant performances by Ben Affleck in "Gone Girl" or Matthew McConaughey in "Interstellar" respectively. I can see that Cumberbatch will be at the top of most "Will Win" columns and no "Should Win" columns come awards season.
Keira Knightley's inclusion to be honest bored me and her character made me feel disengaged. Her saving grace came in her performance following Alan Turing's engagement. Before that I found her annoying, although I did find the scene in which she is late for Turing's test and is told that the secretary's applications are on the upper floor of interest. This scene makes a point in regards to our then attitudes towards women, and the film again fails to make a point of this. In general, I felt the performances across the board were mostly disappointing, except Rory Kinnear (playing Detective Nock) mostly because I don't think there was much wrong he could have done.
It pains me to say it and to break from what most are saying, and I can see where they are coming from, but I didn't like "The Imitation Game. Despite Cumberbatch's "not-worthy-of-an-Oscar-performance and the choice of a Norwegian director, what disappointed me most was how I felt the film didn't go far enough in being a comment on both homophobia and women's rights as well as telling Turing's story. For me, the film earns its stars based on how Cumberbatch propels the film forward, its magnificent story, and it's beautiful all year round shots of Bletchley Park, even though each have their faults.