The Theory of Everything Review

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Maxine Peake

The Theory of Everything is a poignant biopic with a lot to say. It tells the remarkable story of Stephen and Jane Hawking. For those not familiar with Stephen, he is one of the smartest men to ever walk the earth, except lately, he hasn't been walking. He is debilitated by a form of ALS, also known as motor-neuron disease, or Lou Gehrig's disease. It has left him in a motorized wheelchair and unable to speak a single word by himself. A brilliant physicist, he developed a theory of everything, that directly linked space and time to form a conclusive idea that the universe had a beginning that came from a black hole explosion. The only thing is, ALS usually has a life expectancy of two years at the most. And Stephen Hawking is still alive. The movie chronicles his life and marriage with his college sweetheart Jane, and the various struggles they go through to try and cope with his illness, and share his incredible mind with the world. It's a wonderful movie, with two powerful performances by Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. Redmayne especially, completely becomes Hawking. It also gives a stark portrayal of an honest relationship, and strips away many preconceived ideas about love, marriage, and dealing with a serious illness.

If I were to award this movie stars just for acting alone, I'd give it ten stars. Five full ones for Eddie Redmayne, and five full ones for Felicity Jones. They are both incredible as Stephen and Jane Hawking. Eddie Redmayne physically debilitates so much through the movie, and his immense dedication to role is apparent. When he isn't diagnosed with his disease yet, Redmayne has a few ticks to subtly build up to the climax. It may be a slight eye twitch, or his foot catching on the stairs. You have to be observant to see it all, but it's there. When his disease sets in and he slurs his speech and loses all body control, it's even more powerful. Even when he becomes silent, Redmayne delivers expressions that are unbelievable. With a role so powerful and recognizable as Stephen Hawking, it's a feat that Felicity Jones could hold her own. But she does so much more than that. In a role less showy than Redmayne's, but no less powerful, she truly moves you as the wife struggling to find her own identity and follow her own goals next to such a successful and consuming husband. Their story isn't a fairytale romance, but it is a happy one. I'll get to that when I talk about the messages this movie has to say.

Now let me talk about my problems with the film, which are very few. I did not particularly enjoy the pacing at the beginning. I really loved seeing Stephen and Jane's courtship for the first half hour, but  it felt incredibly slow, and I just wanted to get to his illness. Of course, I realize this was essential to the film, I just wished there were things that made it move a little faster. I also felt the concept of time was thrown out the window, which is ironic, because Hawking's theory is completely based on time. I never knew what year it was, how long he'd been ill, or anything like that. I went by how old his kids looked, and Jane's changing hairstyles to figure out how long it had been. Only once, did Jane ever make a note that time indeed had passed over his expected two years of life. Which I feel is a mistake, because I think that Jane and Stephen would in some way react to him still being alive after his expectancy date, instead of waiting years to finally convey those feelings. I blame these errors on script and continuity, but that does not mean it has a bad screenplay. The script is exceptional, with great characters created and great lines. Perfect moments of humor, blended with the emotional scenes. The problems I have are incredibly minimal.

The film has a repeated message of religion. Jane is a very religious individual, and her introduction includes her being a member of the Church of England. And as expected, Stephen does not believe in any sort of religion, preferring the scientific explanation. And it's evident that Jane and Stephen perfectly embody their beliefs. For those who don't know what happened with the two, they did not end up together. But they did end up happy. And I think that this movie gives the rarely seen message that a relationship doesn't have to last forever. It was obvious that Jane was struggling with herself and her identity with Stephen, and being the wife and caretaker to such a man was taking a toll on her. And some of her actions she believed were wrong, simply because of her religious background. Stephen, being of no religion, did not see a problem in it, and both were happier apart. They still remained friends, and I'm confident that they still loved each other in some way. The poignant message was that they didn't have to be together. And I feel there is an incorrect stigma with being married to someone with an illness. You're supposed to stay with them until they die. Obviously he didn't die, and I think she didn't expect to have to stay that long with a man like him. Their courtship was beautiful, but if you observed their ideals, you could see that they weren't necessarily "star-crossed lovers".

It's important I mention the technical achievements. The score for this movie is absolutely beautiful. Music plays a large part in the film, and there is almost always a beautiful musical piece playing during a powerful scene. And like I've stated and restated, the acting in this film is phenomenal. Eddie Redmayne could see himself getting his first Oscar, and I think Felicity Jones is definitely in the running. I think The Theory of Everything's greatest aspect is its portrayal of ALS and its portrayal of love and marriage. All of this loops back to the great direction, and acting. The ending is particularly moving. It's so great that I don't want to spoil what happens. I'd recommend it to anyone who's a fan of slower movies with really fantastic acting, because the whole movie is rooted in these two characters, See it,  and you will be rewarded.

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