For their performances alone, The Theory of Everything might be worth a watch. Evidently, this true-life story has been Hollywood-ized for awards recognition and mass appeal.

While it goes on to tick all the events in Hawking’s life after this, we see neither the trauma of a man talking about the beginning, the end, and then the timelessness of time when counting days himself, or the bitterness of him fathoming the expanse of the cosmos trapped in a body restricted to a wheelchair. His deductions, derived after long, lonely and presumably agonising hours of work, are reduced to warm flashes of brilliance.

Even though the film is about a fulfilling marriage that finally fails, it never degenerates into negativity. The underlying message is that of hope, as put in words by the physicist himself, “While there is life, there is hope.” We will toast to that.

A film as strongly scripted and impeccably executed as The Theory of Everything will be remembered for longer than Stephen Hawking’s estimate of the end of time.

For those expecting a science lesson though, this film provides only fleeting moments of diet-physics. Instead, the focus is on Hawking’s emotional discoveries, his “simple, elegant equation to explain everything” – love, hope and human endeavour, balancing the sadness of ‘If only’ with the courage of ‘What if…?’

This movie reportedly made Stephen Hawking cry. Watch it. You’ll see why.

With top class production values and an impressive music score, the film hits the right notes on the technical front. When it comes to acting, it excels. Felicity Jones as the woman who stands by his side is first rate. But ultimately, this film belongs to Eddie Redmayne who has delivered an extraordinary performance. The physical transformation, right from the way he slumps in the chair, moves his hands, it is all very impressive.

The only bright spark in the film is the music by Johan Johansson, and although James Marsh showed tremendous hold of emotion and subject in his previous movies ‘Man on wire’ and ‘Project Nim’, the spark is sorely missed this time around.

The film boasts of skillful direction by James Marsh and an applause-worthy performance by star Eddie Redmayne, which is more than enough to keep you hooked throughout the film.

The Theory of Everything is a noteworthy film that features stellar acting, combined with wonderful music and direction. It takes a heartbreaking yet inspiring story, and marvelously depicts it on the screen. Though it may not be the film for viewers who want a brutal biopic, it’s still a film you can’t afford to miss.

The film hinges on the masterly performances by its lead players. Redmayne’s contortions don’t come across as choreographed as he conveys the resolve of Hawking without making a show of it. Jones proves to be a credible foil as Jane. The rest of the cast are simply fillers to generate awe for the principal characters.