Read Mixed User Reviews for The Imitation Game

4

15MaxCharactersJan 11, 2015

This is a tough one...the story was compelling at first: cryptographers working on a machine that would break the Nazi ciphers, but then it got heavy-handed with the gay political agenda. I invested myself in the story and then was let downThis is a tough one...the story was compelling at first: cryptographers working on a machine that would break the Nazi ciphers, but then it got heavy-handed with the gay political agenda. I invested myself in the story and then was let down because I felt manipulated and used.
The story is one about some brilliant people. Unfortunately, it's written by people who aren't.… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

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6

nicholasbertJan 11, 2015

While the story is certainly fascinating (albeit seldom true to truth), as a movie The Imitation Game really does nothing more. In fact, one could point out that a similar movie with a similar theme did a much better job in 2001. However,While the story is certainly fascinating (albeit seldom true to truth), as a movie The Imitation Game really does nothing more. In fact, one could point out that a similar movie with a similar theme did a much better job in 2001. However, Benedict Cumberbatch portrays very well a character that does not really resemble the real-life Alan Turing - it's not his fault.

As I mentioned, nothing is particularly great about The Imitation Game; and if what really interested you is the story told, you should read the biography.… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

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6

zurnzurnJan 8, 2015

Just good enough, gives the basics of the story and a character, but doesn't dive nearly as deep as it could have either into the intelligence history or the man. There is so much interesting stuff, but the movie seems to have been afraid toJust good enough, gives the basics of the story and a character, but doesn't dive nearly as deep as it could have either into the intelligence history or the man. There is so much interesting stuff, but the movie seems to have been afraid to get ambitious and settled on simplification.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

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5

hotfromcauldronNov 29, 2014

Alan Turing was a remarkable man - the Imitation Game is not. Obviously, a PG movie can do no justice to a sexually repressed, obsessive compulsive math genius- seemingly on the autistic spectrum.
A teenage crush and an irritatingAlan Turing was a remarkable man - the Imitation Game is not. Obviously, a PG movie can do no justice to a sexually repressed, obsessive compulsive math genius- seemingly on the autistic spectrum.
A teenage crush and an irritating investigator bookend Turing's contribution of the computer.
The war images are jarring, the musical score imposing, and the sexual tension non-existent.
Whenever Cumberbatch and Knightly - were on the screen - my mind wandered to Sheldon and Amy of the Big Bang Theory- who do it so much better. Your strongest emotions should not be evoked by the closing credits of a film.… Expand

2 of 7 users found this helpful25

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6

JalemanyJan 10, 2015

Entertaining and mildly fun, this film's two parallel plots aren't balanced convincingly. It is certainly difficult to show the facts and processes that help break Enigma and win the war, and at the same time, to pay attention to theEntertaining and mildly fun, this film's two parallel plots aren't balanced convincingly. It is certainly difficult to show the facts and processes that help break Enigma and win the war, and at the same time, to pay attention to the struggles and suffering of a homosexual in 1940's UK. Maybe a longer film could have done justice to Turing's tremendous story.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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6

jeffnicholsNov 29, 2014

The movie was certainly decent, but very uneven. It unsuccessfully tries to weave together 3 different periods of the protagonist's life. The jumping around is superfluous and at times annoying. Had the structuring of the film been handledThe movie was certainly decent, but very uneven. It unsuccessfully tries to weave together 3 different periods of the protagonist's life. The jumping around is superfluous and at times annoying. Had the structuring of the film been handled differently, I probably would have like the movie more. Since it is based on a true story, it was engaging and the performances were good. It has at times a very hollywood feel - making audiences want to 'root' for the hero, so to speak. I'd recommend seeing it, but it has a lot of flaws.… Expand

1 of 6 users found this helpful15

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6

DirigiblePulpFeb 1, 2015

This Oscar bait movie may be the flattest and least interesting since "The Reader" snuck its Weinstein backed ass into the race in 2008. It's not that the story isn't good, or shouldn't have been told. There's loads of potential everywhereThis Oscar bait movie may be the flattest and least interesting since "The Reader" snuck its Weinstein backed ass into the race in 2008. It's not that the story isn't good, or shouldn't have been told. There's loads of potential everywhere you look here. Cumberbatch has pretty much been bred for the role of Alan Turing over the last couple years, practicing and perfecting his "not really Asperger's" type genius anti-social with just the right amount of heart of gold underneath.

It's that every aspect of this movie seems indifferent. The boringly shot compositions and superficial character depth. The well-meaning for its own sake without being earned (I'm talking about the tragedy of chemical castraction Turing faces for being a homosexual). This feels like a CliffsNotes version of the story, told by a tenured professor thinking of golfing and retirement. Nothing really adds up here. It's a shame.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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6

Gamed2longJan 17, 2015

This is one of those movies where you can almost feel the actors reaching off screen, begging for an Oscar. And when it gets slow or dull they blame the source material. Well I can sum this film up in 2 words. Completely forgettable. BenedictThis is one of those movies where you can almost feel the actors reaching off screen, begging for an Oscar. And when it gets slow or dull they blame the source material. Well I can sum this film up in 2 words. Completely forgettable. Benedict Cumberbatch plays a genius mathematician who isn't good with people and is battling many demons. Well a demon. He's gay. It is a biggie but really its just the one demon. Cumberbach can stretch into the awkward intellectual character so easily its basically a second suit. Turns out making that character gay doesn't even add an extra piece to that suit. The supporting cast gives solid performances, especially Kira Knightley.
This is a very important story. And it its telling could be powerful. But under Morten Tyldum's direction and Graham Moore's script its mediocre at best.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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5

BshopJan 9, 2015

Decent film about Alan Turing and his "machine" (computers in the early years were called Turing machines).
Anyway, good performance from Cumberbatch, less so for Knighley (small role). Others are forgettable.
Kinda of difficult to followDecent film about Alan Turing and his "machine" (computers in the early years were called Turing machines).
Anyway, good performance from Cumberbatch, less so for Knighley (small role). Others are forgettable.
Kinda of difficult to follow with flashbacks and present trading places often. Wish it focused only on war times or only on upbringing, but alas, it probably only works this way because it would be boring otherwise.
In summary, worth a rent or if there's nothing else to see in theaters, otherwise, wait for it to rent on Redbox or AmazonPrime.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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5

pkarapan77Feb 9, 2020

If you want to watch a fictional movie with good production values and cast, but which has very little to do with the real Alan Turing, this is the movie for you.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

AxeTJan 17, 2015

Another over-rated decent but by no means great film. The critics think they should like this type of film so tend to give it too much praise which is why they should not be followed. They sell themselves and unworthy films and short changeAnother over-rated decent but by no means great film. The critics think they should like this type of film so tend to give it too much praise which is why they should not be followed. They sell themselves and unworthy films and short change their constituency: The Audience! Cumberbatch is a good actor but not a star.
The movie is competently made but by the numbers formula and could have been done by any of hundreds of directors for hire in the industry, and yet the Academy nominates this guy over Clint Eastwood whose film is so much more original, artful and emotional. That's probably because they're mostly all left leaning sheep that always go for this kind of subject matter and don't like that Clint spoke out against Obama. Whatever. This is the key: when you walk out of a movie and swear you were in there for over two and a half hours and then look at your watch and it really was only two hours, well that's not a good thing despite a very compelling subject and true story about the birth of the computer.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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5

Raven25Feb 19, 2015

Benedict Cumberbatch is brilliant as always and Keira Knightly is a feminist plot device. I have no idea why she is in a movie about a gay man other than to narrate a feminist agenda and move random bits of the plot along which can beBenedict Cumberbatch is brilliant as always and Keira Knightly is a feminist plot device. I have no idea why she is in a movie about a gay man other than to narrate a feminist agenda and move random bits of the plot along which can be accomplished by literally any other character.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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6

TheRocksBarneyDec 8, 2014

Going into "The Imitation Game", I expected to see what had been cited as the main draws of the film, those being the magnificent story that is told and Benedict Cumberbatch's performance, (playing Alan Turing), apparently worthy of an Oscar,Going into "The Imitation Game", I expected to see what had been cited as the main draws of the film, those being the magnificent story that is told and Benedict Cumberbatch's performance, (playing Alan Turing), apparently worthy of an Oscar, for Best Actor. Yet these draws only half come to define what I thought of "The Imitation Game".

When I look back, I think of how the film told Alan Turing's story and how this man, who had served his country so well, had been treated so badly by it simply because he was gay. Yet I think the film could have emphasised this point better. Again, when I look back to the film, it's not Alan Turing's injustice that jumps out at me, rather it is his achievement that does so. I suppose that's a good thing, but the film could have doubled up as a comment on homophobia as well as on Alan Turing's story.

It's also worth making the point that, as an adapted screenplay written by Graham Moore, having topped the 2011 Black List and based on Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges, the dialogue was poor and I didn't really care about the characters, even to an extent Turing. Of course, responsibility for this also lands with the film's Norwegian director, Morten Tyldum, making his English- Language directorial debut. Yet after the film, I soon found out that the production team was also mainly Norwegian, tarnishing my views of what I thought was a British film and I think that this is such a shame.

What can be praised though is the film's stunning cinematography, for which we can thank the Spaniard Óscar Faura. Those colourful shots of Bletchley Park throughout the seasons did so well to make me think that it was summer again. Yet unfortunately the poor use of CGI to show London's bombing for example, makes up for this. These did well to detach me from what was going on at Bletchley Park and it took me a while back there to find myself re-immersed into the film. I think it would have been better if we had remained at Bletchley Park throughout, therefore not only just allowing for an almost relationship to be built up with the place, but also for us to experience more of those all year round shots.

The second of the film's draws, Cumberbatch's performance, left me wondering what this less charming Sherlock Holmes was doing at Bletchley Park. To be honest, I was almost expecting us to be whisked off into Turing's mind palace at any moment. (I also found Charles Dance's performance, playing Commander Alistair Denniston, similar to his portrayal of Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones.) Yet if this was what Alan Turing was like, the same goes with Denniston, then we can't fault their performances, it's just that for me I found Cumberbatch's performance to be nothing different from what I already know of him on screen. This has become the sort of role that I would associate with Cumberbatch, which I think he should be careful of. Although he does propel the story forward, I don't think his performance is Oscar worthy, especially when compared with what I thought were brilliant performances by Ben Affleck in "Gone Girl" or Matthew McConaughey in "Interstellar" respectively. I can see that Cumberbatch will be at the top of most "Will Win" columns and no "Should Win" columns come awards season.

Keira Knightley's inclusion to be honest bored me and her character made me feel disengaged. Her saving grace came in her performance following Alan Turing's engagement. Before that I found her annoying, although I did find the scene in which she is late for Turing's test and is told that the secretary's applications are on the upper floor of interest. This scene makes a point in regards to our then attitudes towards women, and the film again fails to make a point of this. In general, I felt the performances across the board were mostly disappointing, except Rory Kinnear (playing Detective Nock) mostly because I don't think there was much wrong he could have done.

It pains me to say it and to break from what most are saying, and I can see where they are coming from, but I didn't like "The Imitation Game. Despite Cumberbatch's "not-worthy-of-an-Oscar-performance and the choice of a Norwegian director, what disappointed me most was how I felt the film didn't go far enough in being a comment on both homophobia and women's rights as well as telling Turing's story. For me, the film earns its stars based on how Cumberbatch propels the film forward, its magnificent story, and it's beautiful all year round shots of Bletchley Park, even though each have their faults.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

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5

pufrockJan 18, 2015

6/10 solo per lo sconfinato amore che ho nei confronti Alan Turing che questo mediocre film (che almeno ha il merito di farlo conoscere) trasforma in una specie di Sheldon Cooper alle prese con un programma militare top secret durante la6/10 solo per lo sconfinato amore che ho nei confronti Alan Turing che questo mediocre film (che almeno ha il merito di farlo conoscere) trasforma in una specie di Sheldon Cooper alle prese con un programma militare top secret durante la seconda guerra mondiale (tra l'altro la storia è completamente diversa, la macchina per decriptare Enigma la ideò e realizzò un polacco, il progetto passò ai servizi segreti britannici e quindi a Turing quando la Polonia venne invasa).
Mi aspettavo molto di più sul suo appassionante (e non poi così inaccessibile per il grande pubblico) lavoro scientifico e molto molto di più su indagine, processo e sull'incredibilmente tragico epilogo della sua vita… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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5

QldgamerFeb 8, 2015

The movie was well acted but the plot did not take the story far enough, it tried to be both a war story and a life story but failed to reach either very well.

I was annoyed by the war part of the story, some major fact issue, but IThe movie was well acted but the plot did not take the story far enough, it tried to be both a war story and a life story but failed to reach either very well.

I was annoyed by the war part of the story, some major fact issue, but I understand that it is a based on a true story movie and not a doco. But still annoying.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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4

RockWolfFeb 28, 2015

Good movie but the ending selling the gay lifestyle did not justify giving an Oscar for the movie. British war history does not make this a good reason for a movie award here in America or trip to the movies. We have too many Hero's toGood movie but the ending selling the gay lifestyle did not justify giving an Oscar for the movie. British war history does not make this a good reason for a movie award here in America or trip to the movies. We have too many Hero's to praise who served this country with honor despite being gay. We enjoyed the first part but there was no uplifting performances to rate this as having been worth seeing, once.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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4

carito7Mar 26, 2015

The imitation game disappointed me. It is a very safe film, with safe performances and safe script. I thought that I was going to find an outstanding performance by Benedict, but instead I couldn't separate him from his Sherlock, here he isThe imitation game disappointed me. It is a very safe film, with safe performances and safe script. I thought that I was going to find an outstanding performance by Benedict, but instead I couldn't separate him from his Sherlock, here he is at the same level. Keira was good, but I found it very difficult to believe their relationship. The emotional end didn't work for me, neither the flashbacks. I didn't know about the terrible things the people did to homosexuals at that time, that was what really affected me when I watched The imitation game. What I liked about it? The art, some information that I learned about that time and about Turing, Matthew Goode's performance, and the part where they translate the code and debate about what actions take next.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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6

VonSeuxJun 10, 2015

Sheldon Cooper stars this gay propaganda film, a "true" story that ignores the sexual life of Alan Turing to make audience think the was oh so opressed // the ending was a joke. take a quick look at Turing biography and if you're gay, you'veSheldon Cooper stars this gay propaganda film, a "true" story that ignores the sexual life of Alan Turing to make audience think the was oh so opressed // the ending was a joke. take a quick look at Turing biography and if you're gay, you've been made a fool by the screenwriters… Expand