I’m still trying to figure out what I think of The Imitation Game. It’s the story of Alan Turing and what he did to help the British government end World War II. It’s suggested that Turing’s invention and work is what led to what we think of as the computer today. It’s also the story of his math genius… his oddity and his homosexuality. I’m just trying to figure out which one of those things is the central message of the movie…

Story: This movie is based on a true story, so, it should be fairly easy to tell. I’m not sure this film hits the mark – at least not like others I’ve seen recently. Don’t get me wrong – its a great story, but, it has me wondering if it could have been told better.

There is one scene where Alan and Joan Clarke talk about marriage that is very modern. In 1940, you expect the conversation to be, “Getting married is expected…” But, Joan defines it in very practical matters and that is refreshing.

Performances: Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing and Kiera Knightly as Joan Clarke are outstanding. The performances in this film make the film – the individual parts outshine the big picture and in this case, that’s okay.

There’s alot of witty English banter between characters and its fun. Mark Strong as the MI6 agent and Charles Dance as the military commander provide many of these scenes and hold their own as characters. The rest of Turing’s team have individual moments, but nothing to speak of.

There is talk about nominations for Benedict Cumberbatch and Kiera Knightly. They are good, but, I’ve already seen performances that I would vote for over these… stay tuned…

Visual: This story spans several eras – 1920’s to the 1950’s. It all looked like the same period of time. There was no distinction from era to era. It would be nice to see clear differences from the 20’s to the 30’s to the 50’s. That would also help keep the years straight as the story jumps back and forth in time without always identifying the year. It’s a bit confusing at times…

Rating: I’m giving it a B-. This film is somewhat flat for me. I feel like the subject matter – both big topics – don’t get the proper treatment. It’s supposed to make a statement about homosexuality, but, I feel like it gets mentioned a few times, but, never developed. It’s mentioned as if it’s riding on the coat tails of the bigger issue – building a machine that can help end/win the war. It’s use is somewhat predictable in a few scenes as well…

Overall, The Imitation Game highlights the great work Alan Turing did and the millions of lives it saved, but, doesn’t tell his personal story very well…

Unless you’re a movie reviewer, see this on DVD…