Not so brief

Rating: 7/10 (4 January 2015)

I had high hopes for The Theory Of Everything. The trailer looked phenomenal, and judging from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb scores the critical reception was positive. Over All-I was expecting more
The film follows the life of Stephen Hawkings, from his Oxford days to his offered knighthood.
There are good things in this film. Eddie Redmayne's performance as Hawking was phenomenal. Every mannerism was perfect and I look forward to see more from him. Phenomenal portrayed Hawkings as somewhat arrogant, but with great charm, curiosity and a good heart. The score for the film is fantastic also. Johan Johannsson produces some wonderful piano pieces,and the score makes the film worthwhile. There other good things in the film, none that stand out as much as these two though. I laughed ,smiled, and got invested in the story in multiple occasions.
But it wasn't enough. For a film that explores time so much, it has some serious pacing issues. The film slows down too much, and never quite refunds it's pace. It moves forwards and backward, pace wise, and that makes the 2 running time seem like 2 and a half. I found it hard to get invested in Hawkings' wife. Felicity Jones portrays her as uptight, and somewhat cold, although I didn't doubt her love for Hawkings for a second. The film does a great job of showcasing the effects that degenerate diseases have in both the sufferer and those around them. Some characters, like hawking's school friends and lecturer seemed 2 dimensional and boring.
Emily Watson and Charlie Cox both appear and give solid performances, but nothing more can really be said. The film appears to be by a young, inexperienced director, who has potential to grow into a great one, however James Marsh has a good few films under his belt(none of which I have seen.) I'd definitely see what else he has to offer, but I hope his timing improves, as it was detrimental to the films success as a narrative.
In short, the film has a great central performance, an amazing score, but its pacing and Ack of interesting characters drags it down.