Genius

After reading other reviews about this show I was hesitant to watch it. But there are e few points I'd like to make after seeing it up until now:

First of all: as anyone should know this is not a documentary. Don't expect a 100% accurate description of Einstein's life or complex explanations of his theories. It's a drama and you should know this while watching it. That being said: The first episode is actually a really bad introduction for the rest of the series: the drama aspect is way too high, they jump back and forward (which they don't in later episodes) and the focus of the episode is all over the place. In later episodes you get a much more structured way of looking at Einstein's life. There is a clear story line which you can understand and empathize with.

In conclusion: don't judge the entire series in the first 20 minutes of the first episode like seemingly a lot of others have done here.

I couldn't not write a review of this after I saw some of the negative 3/10, 1/10 reviews near the top. Thankfully scroll down a bit and you'll see nothing but 10/10, 9/10. This is a really fantastic, excellently crafted television series that delves into the discoveries and the life of Einstein and other notables around him.

Watching the warm and intense and completely unique love story deteriorate into the bitter breakdown in his marriage (not a spoiler, you know through the flash forward that his first marriage didn't work out) is tragic and immensely frustrating as you see this great mind struggle to grasp basic emotional empathy or understanding.

I've seen some reviews calling this 'hollywood trash'. It's not. It's deeply unfair in places, it's uplifting and exciting in others, there are no foregone, predictable conclusions, it's funny and the characters are multi layered and brilliantly written and acted. Johnny Flynn's brilliant! It's also wonderfully shot.

The only negatives I'd have would be that it can, at times seem a little expositional in the dialogue, but rarely, and that Geoffrey Rush takes over as the older Einstein a little too early - testament to Johnny Flynn that such a great actor as Geoffrey Rush has to work hard to follow.

They're making Picasso next and I hope by then this goes onto Netflix as no one seems to know about it. I had to buy it and it was money well spent.

I am amazed that so many people would dismiss the whole series as "all sex and no substance." It was based on a fantastic book (in my view) by Walter Isaacson who paints a portrait of a Jewish man, husband, father and scientist who lives through WWI as a convinced pacifist and "free thinker." He is a ground breaking scientist, respected by his peers who becomes an important element in convincing Roosevelt to begin the process of developing an atom bomb which helps end WWII. He is slow to warm to the idea of a State of Israel but he does help in fund raising for it, advises on the establishment of its first University and was considered for the presidency of this new country. Einstein the proud US citizen could not help but condemn Nazi treatment of Jews and American treatment of black US citizens.

I found the visualization and explanation of some of his insights very helpful.

I found him to be funny, thoughtful, collaborative, religious, political and definitely "an original."

My only criticism was that I found the "time switching" to be confusing at the start - child, student, newly married, teacher, world celebrity scientist and aging scholar at Princeton University.

Read the book if you are interested in "the whole story" of Einstein the man. Be frustrated with the movie if you are looking for a simplified explanation of his scientific studies. Stay away from it, if you see no need for any of the sex scenes or political involvement.

I disagree with 95% of all the reviews submitted.

I am amazed to read all the negative reviews here. I was hooked on Genius from the first episode. Yes, there's not an awful lot of science in it (up till now anyway - I've just watched episode 4), but the bio of Einsteins life fascinates me, as I am always keen to know more about the real person behind their work. The acting is superb, Rush is always amazing and Johnny Flynn is a pleasant surprise. Love the production, its a fascinating story very well told.

I read one review that said the viewer was disappointed after watching the first episode for its switching between past and present. Interestingly, the first episode was the least enjoyable to watch as it was a little disconcerting. But the production of the show was very well thought-out in the sense that this series (season one) BUILT the story of Einstein. It didn't just TELL a story, but allowed you to "get into Einstein's head" and understand what made the man the way he was.

To watch this series, commit yourself to watching it and stay with it. A few times I thought it was slow and some of the detail written into the script was "fill", but the fact is that at the end of the last episode.. and the end of the last scene.. every part of the filming that made this production ALL came together!

Kudo's to the writers and production team for an EXCELLENT production! Movies nearly always tell a story, but they don't frequently make you feel as though you've been a PART of that story or lived the experiences of the people in that movie. Genius: Einstein successfully did exactly that!

Without giving away anything, it appears to be close to real life (though does take some creative license as you would expect, plus it doesn't completely write out some of the details of his life.. but that's probably because the seasons appear to be a straight 10 episode "adventure). You'll learn about his life from his childhood to his death, his influences, the tragedies, his family, his success, AND his failures (with many in his own personal life). You'll learn that this true genius certainly has his human flaws!

Really worth watching! Entertaining (though don't expect fast-paced, heart-pounding adventure as it's not that type of series and does move slow at times), very informative, and educational as well. Don't let negative reviews influence you to not watch this.. and certainly watch at least two or three episodes before forming an opinion (as at least one reviewer clearly did). If you watch one episode and say "not for me", you won't know what the series is really like. It takes a few.. and you WILL be hooked!