Not another cheap imitation

‘The Imitation Game’ review

By Megan West, Contributor

5/5

Based on a true story and set in England in 1939, The Imitation Game brings back to life the behind-the-scenes efforts of mathematician Alan Turing and his team to end the war through means of cracking an “impossible” Nazi code called Enigma.

Many movies depicting historical events tend to be loaded with Hollywood extras and overacting in order to glam up the viewing experience, but this film does no such thing. Now don’t let that imply that this movie is boring, because it is anything but.

Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays Turing, and Keira Knightley, who plays Joan Clarke, give absolutely stunning performances that have already been recognized as worthy for Oscar nominations and should, in my opinion, win hands down.

Determined to find a way to crack Enigma, Turing creates an ingenious machine, which he lovingly refers to as “Christopher,” that looks for patterns in the intercepted German messages. Throughout the process of doing so, he is depicted as an underdog with social anxiety (which has been said to be inaccurate) who rises above his awkwardness by living by the motto that “sometimes it is the people that no one imagines anything of that do the things that no one can imagine.” The film also deals beautifully with other social issues of the times, such as women’s rights and homophobia.

Regardless of the fact that this movie is by no means action-packed, I found myself with goosebumps a number of times over the course of the two hours. Not only is the film heartwarming, it is infuriating in the best possible way, leaving you thinking about the big picture long after you leave the theatre.

Coupling together the perfect screenplay and the beyond incredible acting, I’m going to say that, without a doubt, The Imitation Game was the best movie of 2014. Now all there is left to do is wait for the Academy to prove me right.