The Imitation Game (2014)

IMDb plot summary: During World War II, mathematician Alan Turing tries to crack the enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians.
Directed by Morten Tyldum. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, and Rory Kinnear.

(Spoilers about the movie's end.)

Benedict Cumberbatch is truly excellent in this movie, portraying Turing in such a way that we truly root for him. We cheer when he gets his project off the ground, and our heart hurts for him in the final despair-filled scenes at the end of his life.

Unfortunately, he's the only really good thing about this movie. I can't quite fathom how this won Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars, because I thought the screenplay was really awful. It took what was an interesting story and wrote it at the level of a made-for-TV movie, with far too many instances of "Oh, remember that thing I said earlier in the movie? Well, here, I'll say it again, but this time it'll be POIGNANT! Oh, but don't worry, that's not the last time. You'll hear it again later, but even POIGNANTER!" It really is to Benedict's credit that he can speak and react to these lines as well as he does.

I typically dislike Keira Knightley as an actress, and while she's not *bad* here, she doesn't really add anything to the movie either. Yet she also managed to get an Oscar nod for this movie.

Clearly I'm missing most of the appeal, but I'm truly baffled that people thought this movie was award-worthy in general. Benedict's work, sure, but he was just making the most of the sloppy mess he was handed.

2 stars.

How it entered my Flickchart:
The Imitation Game < Last Action Hero
The Imitation Game > Braveheart
The Imitation Game > Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins
The Imitation Game < Ice Station Zebra
The Imitation Game < Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging
The Imitation Game > Marathon Man
The Imitation Game < Live-In Maid
The Imitation Game < Another Thin Man
The Imitation Game > Fun Size
The Imitation Game < Dear Frankie
The Imitation Game < The Lady from Shanghai
Final spot: #1413 out of 2327.