Enigma

 

So, I didn't have any idea what this movie was going to be about - besides being something about code breaking. Basically, this movie was set during the WWII, and there were stuff about Allies, and Nazis, and more of history stuff which I can only pretend to know, and not even really bother reading more about. There's really nothing much to discuss over here, for a person like me, who is searching for movies with depth, because this movie was intended to portray the life of a supposedly important person named Alan Turing - played by Benedict Cumberbatch. 

I haven't really seen Cumberbatch cry - it was kinda funny actually. I don't think crying roles fit him at all, and to be honest, I didn't really fancy his overly sarcastic mood. His acting here was like an amplified version of Sherlock.  I think his nonchalance and disregard for insignificant and less important things in life is pretty adequate in Sherlock, but rather overdone in this movie. This movie was directed by a Norwegian director, Morten Tyldum. He probably really liked the way Cumberbatch played Sherlock. 

So for the three main criteria I look for in a movie - Emotion, Depth and Complexity. Like I mentioned earlier, there wasn't much Depth, no intense life philosophy or food for thought. The plot was neat and straightforward with occasional flashbacks. About Emotion, I think Cumberbatch fits characters like Khan (which he pulled off pretty impressively), but the obsessive compulsive, systematic, soft hearted person with a damaged childhood is not really Him. When I saw him cry, I kinda went - "Eww'. Hahaha! I think the roles he played in Sherlock and Star Trek were pretty strong that it couldn't be washed out in another movie suggesting a contradictory role. It's rather difficult to act out a role that demands sarcastic intelligence together with occasional tears and love. However, I liked Kiera Knightley's acting in this movie. Her role wasn't as demanding as Benedict's role. About her hair in the final scene though - it was ugly. 

About the language - it was so British and probably archaic that I needed subtitles. 'Lad' - do people even use that these days? 'Insufferable sod.' I think I shall adopt that into my vocab. Well, the setting was in 1940's so yes, they had to speak that way. It was rather sexy actually. Both Benedict and Kiera are English, so not much of acting needed there, they just had to talk like they usually do. 

For the plot of the movie, I could not appreciate much. They just had to break Enigma, and they did it. I can't feel much - probably because I'm not attached to the emotions during the WWII. So I can't feel the joy of doing something great in saving the world. This was similar to the movie Argo, played by Ben Affleck. So many people loved that movie, but I was like - 'okayyy...they escaped majestically.' No feel. For The Imitation Game, at first I thought the movie was focused on the Enigma, but when they introduced Turing's homosexuality issue, I realised that this movie was dedicated to Alan Turing. In that era, homosexuality was illegal. 

The real Alan Turing

Overall, the movie was interesting, but I just wasn't emotionally attached to the movie. I did enjoy it however. Christopher - was really cool. I didn't really feel the 2 hours go by. Till next time, see ya!