A wonderful and emotional account of the life of an inspiring genius.

Rating: 7/10 (18 January 2015)

Stephen Hawking is an inspiring figure in field of science. His perspective about the mysteries in our boundless universe have been always hugely thought provoking at least for me. But evidently here emphasis on the scientific aspect is far less compared to the drama and romance. Still watching sensational genius fight the motor-neuron disease struggling to keep up his social life was soul-stirring. Eddie Redmayne's performance is mind-blowing, both physically and sentimentally.
The movie's main focus is the relationship between Hawking (Eddie Redmayne) and his wife Jane (Felicity Jones). It opens up in 1963, when Stephen and Jane first meet. The romance is very refreshing, credits to the outstanding acting by both the lead plus the beautiful background score. Stephen's ultimate goal was to deduce an equation that would explain all the mysteries of the universe and its functioning which he termed as 'Theory of Everything'. His path unfortunately hits a huge bump when he is diagnosed with motor-neuron disease which slowly paralyzes his whole body. Jane still loved Stephen for the person he was, giving faith and hope to him and they both get married. Doctors had earlier predicted Stephen would only live 2 years after the onset of the disease yet Stephen determinedly outruns that time (Well at 72 today he is still devoted with science). Jane is struggling to manage their lives with Stephen's disability. After this it gets slightly overdrawn with all the drama in their married life. The science and romantic aspect of the films are highly enjoyable while the drama felt a bit bland. Fortunately it reverts back to science in the ending where Stephen is giving a talk and then following with a beautiful rewind into the his back to time he first met Jane. It was so mesmerizing.
Theory of Everything is not perfect. The performances by it leads overpowers the script adapted from Jane's biography. Now I have not read the book, so I can't have a good perspective on that. Felicity Jones as Jane is very charming and lovely, some may find the decisions she took a bit faulty but one must try to understand about the situation she was in. Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of Stephen Hawking is definitely going down as one of best performances in recent times.Wow such great acting seen in 2014. Will be tough-fight at the awards. The lovely score consisting mostly of piano is simplistic still engrossing. The many moments where Stephen struggles with his disability were tear inducing. Even if I wished there was more science stuff included, I would say enjoyed it more considering it as romantic story. This films romance is much better than many romance films we get in recent times. Not forgetting its flaws, The Theory of Everything may not be the best films of the year. It definitely was a wonderful,emotional and inspiring experience.
RATING: [3.5/5]