Solid performance covers up a few hiccups in the screenplay.

Rating: 7/10 (12 January 2015)

This isn't a film full of in-depth scientific Christopher Nolan nonsense like some claimed it to be. It's a simple yet inspired biographical drama covering the life of Stephen Hawking and his wife Jane from Cambridge 1963, to the years of decay as Stephen's Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis slowly disables him.
Eddie Redmayne carries this film. He is insanely believable as the real life scientist, and gives a really likable impression of his own in the performance. I feel like he really has the disease, because he goes out of his way to experience every level of difficulty that the real life scientist has to deal with.
Felicity Jones as Jane is very supportive, likable, and heart wrenching. The rest of the supporting cast falls flat. They're not bad, but nothing really noteworthy. The cinematography is spot on, the lighting in particular.
The film provides a subtle pace throughout, slowly covering all the difficulties with Stephen and his wife after their quick romantic development. In terms of the science, it displays and explains a lot, but it didn't have as much of a scientific edge as I thought it would. I thought a little more focus could have been put into what makes him a well known genius besides his disability. A lot of focus is between the relationship of him and his wife, which builds the tension in their marriage. I enjoyed it, but it could have balanced it out more in my opinion.
The film's ending slightly annoyed me. They covered the Jane and Jonathan relationship well, but Stephen and Elaine's chemistry did not feel very strong, it felt very rushed, making the end of Jane and Stephen's marriage come out of nowhere.
Overall, it retells the story of Stephen Hawking in an inspiring fashion. It's got its moments, but Eddie Redmayne truly carried this film with a groundbreaking performance. Truly a film to be remembered.