Felicity Jones gives some very strong work

Rating: Null/10 (22 November 2014)

There could've definitely been a better film made out of this story. I'm sure any way you spin it, you would've come out with a film that feels like formula all the way through, but I do think that the script could've been better in actually giving the arcs more emotional power. As it is, it sort of just goes through the motions, while still highlighting its sentimentality in a really obvious and sometimes overbearing way (and some of this is also due to the direction). And yet despite that, it's such an easy film to like. I enjoyed it, and I think the two leads definitely give it its effectiveness. As good as I thought Redmayne was, he wasn't particularly surprising. If you've seen the trailer or any clip, you sort of get the idea. There's just no other way a role like this could be played, technically. The thing is, Redmayne does everything he needs to and yet I wasn't particularly affected by him on an emotional level. Despite how showy the role looks on the surface, he's just sort of there. Felicity Jones is who I really loved. Without any hint of artificiality or trying to chew up the scenery, she's just so effective and has such a warm presence. It's with her that I felt the heart and soul of the film, not Redmayne, and I think she should totally be in line for an Oscar nomination. Definitely the best thing about the film