Going in - as an AI major, nonetheless - I was pleasantly surprised somebody actually dug up significant money to make a film about such a niche subject. Having actually seen it, I'm a bit torn.
The good news: "The Imitation Game" is a well-meaning biopic about a great, complex man most people haven't heard about but absolutely should. It's highly recommended if you have a passing interest in either computers or WW II.
The bad news: the film has been considerably dumbed down to make it suitable for mass consumption, leading to far-fetched dramatic setups, nonsensical science, forced dialog and a simplistic rendering of pretty much all of its characters. Knightley and Goode have little to work with, and Cumberbatch fails to fully tap into his inner nerd: Turing's social awkwardness is never real, and neither are his autistic mannerisms. You'd probably be best served to skip "The Imitation Game" if you know a lot about computer science or related fields, as it will leave you either underwhelmed or slightly insulted.
The good news: "The Imitation Game" is a well-meaning biopic about a great, complex man most people haven't heard about but absolutely should. It's highly recommended if you have a passing interest in either computers or WW II.
The bad news: the film has been considerably dumbed down to make it suitable for mass consumption, leading to far-fetched dramatic setups, nonsensical science, forced dialog and a simplistic rendering of pretty much all of its characters. Knightley and Goode have little to work with, and Cumberbatch fails to fully tap into his inner nerd: Turing's social awkwardness is never real, and neither are his autistic mannerisms. You'd probably be best served to skip "The Imitation Game" if you know a lot about computer science or related fields, as it will leave you either underwhelmed or slightly insulted.