The Imitation Game

Whenever I watch films where it's based on a true story, I typically tend to not delve into the story itself and watch the film for its main purpose. Entertainment. I thought I'd quickly whack this in here, because I saw some negative reviews because it was a little bit inaccurate.

The film itself I thought was brilliant. It was a wonderful performance from Benedict (never used that word to describe acting before which speaks volumes) and he carried the film in the parts where not a lot was going on.

The plot itself was interesting and kept you in suspense throughout and it had great characters that were all likeable and kept you invested throughout!

My only real problem I had was that when they finally figured out the code, the film kind of dragged. All tension was gone from the film and you're left with 20 mins or so of just wrapping up stuff and dragging scenes on that didn't need to be, so I got a touch bored towards the end. But other than that it was a really enjoyable watch and for someone who wasn't really familiar with the true story I found it educational also, which is a nice bonus.

But yeah, it's definitely a film I'd recommend. 8/10 from me!

Alan Turing, Mathematician, Logician, Wartime Codebreaker and father of Computer Science. A great British Hero. A great hero in the fight against prejudice.

This film tackles themes of prejudice against the feminine, against homosexuality and more generally against anyone who is different. How? By simply pointing out, using the example of Alan Turing and his colossal achievements, that it takes someone different to do something amazing.

And an amazing story it is, packaged in a beautifully tight screenplay without a wasted scene, that keeps the audience fully engaged throughout. All the cast are on top form, in orbit around a stellar performance by Benedict Cumberbatch that layers humour, complexity, sexuality and the palpable frustration of a brilliant mind not quite able to communicate with his fellow humans.

A film that depicts a man who perhaps fails the test he invented, that is now named after him. The Turing Test. Can he fool you that he is a real human being and not a super intelligent machine? The stress of playing that Imitation Game is set into every micro twitch of the central character.

Should you go see it? No special effects. No interstellar spaceships. Why not wait for the download?

Go see it! Because otherwise you would be missing the chance to see a most remarkable film, performed to perfection. A film about a story that matters, about events that changed history and simply about a man without whom you might not even be able to read this review on your Turing machine.

Let me start this review off by saying that the movie is mostly good. Cumberbatch has been able to show his acting skills and Knightley is great in her supporting role. The historical inaccuracies, however, are unforgivable.

It is completely understandable that a movie based on a true story has to, in part, fictionalise some events, in order to be more exciting or moving. But what the filmmakers failed to understand, in this case, is just how extraordinary Turing's life was. Does one really need to distort the life of the man who created modern computer science as we know it and who was one of the most impactful people in the second world war?

This movie is filled with inaccuracies from beginning to end. For example, Joan Clark wasn't hired with a crossword on a newspaper, the machine was never called "Christopher", Turing never hid his sexual orientation and there never was any reciprocal love with his friend Christopher Morcom. Many others can be found on the IMDb page. Most of these mistakes are relatively minor by themselves, but the sheer number of them feels manipulative in the extreme.

The most blatant one, however, is the depiction of Turing as lacking social skills. In fact, most people who had the opportunity of working with him regarded him as a sociable man with a good sense of humour. Why did they have to portray him according to the typical Hollywoodian cliché of the mathematician? If, for any reason, a filmmaker believes that a socially inept protagonist is more compelling, then they should tell a fictional story, instead of abusing an actual lived experience to push a stereotypical image.

I will give "The Imitation Game" credit for telling an important story and, if you want to see a well-crafted drama set during the second world war, watch this movie, by all means. But if you'd like to discover more about Turing's life, please just read more about him. To think that Turing's impact hasn't been recognised for decades and what made him known to a wide audience is a woefully inaccurate movie is saddening. Sorry Alan, you deserved better.

The story of the breaking of the German ciphers during WWII is a significant one, deserving of an accurate telling. The story of Alan Turing, a key member of the team that developed the methods and machines that broke those ciphers is an important one, also deserving of an accurate telling.

"The Imitation Game" is neither of these films. The story told by this film is watchable, Cumberbatch renders Turing sympathetically and, somewhat to my surprise, Knightley takes the thinly written role of Joan Clarke and turns it into something with a fair bit of heft. However, this film's story takes such liberties with the facts that it really cannot be recommended. This is *not* how the German ciphers were broken and it is not even a reasonable depiction of Turing's life, particularly so when it comes to the atrocious way he was treated after the war.

You will not find Harold Keen or Gordon Welchman in this film, the writers preferring to insinuate that Turing was wholly responsible for the design and building of the bombe machines (except that Hugh Alexander is credited with the idea for improving their working that was actually Welchman's). However, you will find a Soviet spy in Turing's hut when in fact he did not work there. I could go on and list other inaccuracies.

If you are unaware of the stories of Enigma and Turing, you may find this a quite interesting film to watch. If you are aware of these stories I think you may find it difficult to swallow the gross misrepresentations of both.

I consider that filmmakers, when depicting real people or events, have a responsibility to tell the truth and not distort things simply for dramatic effect. When this responsibility is ignored the filmmakers have decided to, in effect, spread lies in the name of entertainment. "The Imitation Game" may be entertaining but it makes this dismal mistake and cannot be recommended.

Truly excellent film and definitely Ocsar worthy material for both the film and the actors. The entire cast are amazing.

As Cumberbatch says near the start of the film "are you paying attention". You should pay attention, Alan Turing deserves your attention, his story deserves to be told.

I went to see this at the London Film Festival last week and I am going to be one of the first ones in the cue to see it when it comes out next month. It is an excellently paced and executed script that has you gripped from beginning to end. The whole audience were laughing and applauding and crying in places, including the man next to me who had to borrow a hankie from his wife.

The film switches between the drive of the team of code breakers to solve the Enigma code, young Alan Turing and the events after the war that destroyed his life.

It is truly heartbreaking in places, and Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as Alan Turing is outstanding. He really deserves an Oscar nomination for his performance.

It has been a very, VERY long time since I enjoyed a film so much, that when I came out of the Cinema I wanted to turn right round and go back in and watch it again. A lovely script that had you switching back and forwards between tears and laughter.

I know some wanted a more in depth and in detail look at Alan Turing's life and have commented frequently that this does no focus enough on his sexuality or the events after the war.

In this case I think less is more, this film highlights the man and the mind. It shows us the genius that was destroyed by a society that was seriously homophobic. It brings to life the man behind the facts and we laugh at his interactions with his fellow code breakers and cheer as he proves his theories and our hearts break as we watch him try to cope after his court case.

One of the best films I have seen in a long time. Go and see judge for yourself.