Incredible performances, and an interesting character

Rating: 7/10 (2 April 2015)

When you make a biopic of someone who is still alive, it is extra challenging to keep the balance what is true, and what is glorified. And when you make a movie that cover a number of years, you're going to have to make some shortcuts.
The scenes in this movie that were done for exposition or explaining difficult concepts worked quite well, and while you know it's one of those aforementioned shortcuts, they do not break the flow of the movie at all, or take you out of the realism.
The story is a great one, and one that needed to be told. Because of his illness and his genius, it is difficult to understand Stephen Hawking as "just another guy" - but this movie shows us how he struggles with the same emotions as the rest of us. And he shows a difficult relationship in a way that respects both parties.
That said, I do wish they could have explained Hawking's importance in the world of physics a bit more, as the movie shows that he is talented, but does not really delve into his talent.
The main attraction in this movie is the acting. Redmayne's performance seems to be spot on. You realize from the moment he moves that he is the perfect choice. Felicity Jones did a great job too, balancing the emotions of the character. The rest of the cast had good performances too, but maybe less to work with.
One thing that was a bit odd was the colors. I'm not into the lingo of this, but it was almost like the whole movie had been run through an instagram filter, which was a bit jarring at times.