Hey, have you seen the trailer for The Imitation Game? Odds are, at some point recently, you have, and I have a surprise for you: you’ve also pretty much seen the entire movie in a two minute trailer. Boy, do trailers love to spoil some huge plot points in their own movies lately? I had a suspicion this was the case before sitting down to watch The Intimidation Game, but this was one instance where it didn’t necessarily ruin the movie for me.
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Alan Turing, a brilliant asshole who apparently loves computers or something. I did absolutely zero research on the real-life Turing because I’d rather just take director Morten Tyldum’s word for it. From what I gather, Turing was a beautiful homosexual man that everyone in their right mind absolutely hated. His genius and social anxiety really makes it hard from him to come off his high horse, but he needs to if he wants to make friends and kill Hitler.
Ok, so he didn’t actually kill Hitler, but with his machine “Christopher,” Turing attempted to crack an unbreakable Nazi code and provide valuable information to help end WWII. Again, if you’ve seen the trailer you probably have a good idea how it all ends for the Nazis and Mr. Turing. (SPOILER ALERT) It’s not all rainbows and sunshine for the both of them by the end.
While the story plays out pretty predictably, the ensemble does deliver some powerful performances. Cumberbatch shines throughout as the socially troubled asshole who wants everyone to know how much smarter he is than every living person on the planet. Keira Knightley plays a love interest (HOLY FUCK DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING) but really does take a stand for feminism and shows she is not afraid to slap some douchebags around to get what she wants. You’ll be surprised to see Mark Strong NOT play a bad guy and give an Oscar-worthy performance as “Man who stands in corners and delivers one liners with a smug expression for the whole two hours.” Wow. Some truly magical stuff.
Sure, I’m kinda being a dick about this movie but in reality I truly enjoyed it. While the pacing at times dragged a tiny bit, the story was compelling enough to carry us through to the end. Even the supporting characters had some strong moments that kept me entertained. There’s one scene in which the quietest member of the team realizes that his brother’s ship is about to be destroyed and they have the power to save him thanks to Turing’s computer. When he’s told they can’t actually act on their discovery he has a heartbreaking moment that going to be hard for you to get through without tearing up.
My only complaint is that the film, which focuses on the events at Bletchley Park, takes a very preachy turn right at the very end of the film. All of a sudden The Imitation Game takes a stand against homophobia on a moral and legal level that, I’m assuming is to support the idea that this man who worked hard to save lives ended up just as persecuted as the men and women he was trying to save. But this wasn’t a theme that was seamlessly weaved throughout the story and feels rather shoe-horned into the film’s final moments. Sure, it’s a valid point and it’s terrible that homosexuals were treated with such vulgarity at that time, but it pulled me out as a viewer right at the most important moments of the film. It’s a pretty nitpicky complaint though, which doesn’t really dissuade me from my positive opinion.
The Imitation Game, which is nominated for 5 Golden Globes, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Supporting Actress, is in theaters now. When you get a chance to check it out, leave your thoughts down below or over on our Facebook page. Stay Entertained.
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