Is best actor award justified?

Rating: 6/10 (10 February 2015)

It seems certain that Eddie Redmayne will be collecting the acting gong at the Oscars in a couple of weeks, but is it deserved?
Redmayne plays Stephen Hawking who is obviously very much still alive and well against the odds. It is the type of role that the production company was probably canvassing for an Oscar before filming even started! There is also the difficulty of whether it's acting or imitation. Judging from interviews with Redmayne he appears very suited for the role as he comes across as a very idiosyncratic character.
The film is based on the first marriage of Hawking to Jane(Felicity Jones) who has to come to terms with the onset of Hawking's motor neurone disease. It is thoroughly engaging and the two leads are quite brilliant throughout. Having said that I still can't help thinking it's more imitation than acting, but just maybe that's why it is such brilliant acting!