A story necessary to tell

Rating: 7/10 (26 January 2015)

Normally sappy love stories aren't my cup of tea, but once you introduce one of the greatest and most profound scientists of the 20th century into the mix, then you've caught my attention. That plus the healthy dose of awards hype made The Theory of Everything a must see.
That great and profound scientist I mentioned is none other than Stephen Hawking, and this film tells the story of his search for the beginning of time and the answers to the universe, chronicling how as his mind grew his body deteriorated due to Lou Gherig's disease or ALS. The film is actually based on the novel that Jane Hawking, Stephen Hawking's wife, wrote and it details her struggles in caring for such an incredible mind whose body had become hardly self- sufficient. It's a timeless love story that celebrates the triumphs of such a brilliant mind, and how Hawking learned to live with the disease, never letting it stop him from answering the questions he wanted answered.
The Theory of Everything tells a powerful and captivating story, albeit the execution is a bit dull. Stephen Hawking's story is obviously an insurmountably important one, and one that deserves to be immortalized in film, thus this film is doing a great service to the artistic and scientific communities. The extent of his triumphs are captured very well in this film, while also capturing the very human story at the center of all the scientific jargon. And so, despite any shortcomings of this film, it is still a very important one, and one that absolutely needed to be made.
My main issue with The Theory of Everything were its reservations. This film plays every conflict so close to the chest, never really capturing the struggle until the third act. Obviously the central conflict here is Hawking's battle with ALS and his trying to cope with the disease as it breaks down his body bit by bit. But this central conflict doesn't feel like much of a conflict because when one thing becomes an issue it seems to be resolved in the very next scene. It's a film that doesn't take any risks, and there is a severe lack of tension throughout, and it's honestly pretty boring for the majority of its two hour runtime. Not painfully boring, but dull.
The film definitely does get better as it goes along, though, and by the end I was left satisfied and a little more well informed about one of the most important scientific minds who ever lived. It transitions from sappy love story to compelling human drama, even if it takes a while to get there. From start to finish, though, this is a beautiful film with gorgeous cinematography and stellar performances. Eddie Redmayne's portrayal of Hawking is shockingly accurate and the resemblance is uncanny. Felicity Jones gives it her all in her portrayal of Jane Hawking, and the two form an unbelievably adorable couple.
Overall I think I just wanted more from The Theory of Everything. The film centers around a lot of things, and it never devotes quite enough time to any one aspect. Major parts of Hawking's scientific advancements are glossed over. The conflict between Hawking and his wife never really picks up either. It's constantly a factor driving the story but the film shy's away from delving too deep into the conflict, and there seemed to be a resolution just when I thought things were really about to get going. But between the beautiful shots, fantastic performances, and incredibly significant subject matter I would say that The Theory of Everything is a great little work of art about one of science's most inspiring figures.