This will be a film known for 'ticking boxes,' but it does it in a way that all films should. Even if somehow it's the only film's nomination, it's still a frontrunner for the win in Adapted Screenplay. The highlight of the film is the writing by Graham Moore, adapted from Andrew Hodges novel 'Alan Turing: The Enigma.' It's not groundbreaking, but it has the right ingredients and the perfect recipe. He could go all the way to the Oscar but it depends on buzz and the competition. But this isn't necessarily a turn off, it fits the tone of the film. Every stutter and nuance feels perfectly placed rather than organic. There's a very rehearsed quality about his performance, similar to Anne Hathaway's Oscar winning turn in Les Miserables. I've only seen him in short supporting roles such as last year's August: Osage County and 12 Years A Slave and I'm certainly quite impressed, if not quite as astounded. Benedict Cumberbatch is a real crowd pleaser here. It's easy to root for Turing, even if his arrogance and standoffishness repel the other characters. The film focuses on his life achievements rather than his demise, though it does explore that part of his life, if not illustrate it as much as it could have done. He deals with a social ineptitude while also accepting his own homosexuality, which lead to unforgivable persecution and depression that caused Turing to take his own life. He attempts it by building the first computer, a passion project of his that was frequently criticized for devoting so much Government time and money. Director Morten Tyldum's film follows Turing's journey to break the Enigma Code, the form in which the Germans communicated during WWII to conduct surprise attacks. It will undeniably be a huge contender at the big awards this season, perhaps going all the way. With a slick exquisite script and an eclectic ensemble strong enough to deliver, it's an accessible film that although may feel familiar, is thoroughly refreshing, bringing laughter, tears and thrills. That's not to say that it's necessarily overly dry and hard to connect to, this biopic of the extraordinary and tragic mathematician and inventor of the digital computer, Alan Turing, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, is emotionally engaging and utterly endearing. It has a theatrical rhythm and attention to detail that ticks like a clock. There is something appropriately mechanical about The Imitation Game.
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