Mark Kermode reviews The Imitation Game

[@LittleAngel5ooekcme]

It was absolutely brilliant, it makes me look at life and history as whole, differently. It brought me to tears and Benedict Cumberbatch is completely flawless. He deserves an oscar.

[@NoWhereMan95]

I wouldn't say I loved it, but I'm glad it exists.

[@imageaware]

The good Dr is right about Alex Lawther (young Turing), he's a really talented actor.

[@AJBa83]

Really great movie, well played, often funny in parts, excellent use of flash forwards and flashbacks. My only problem is I wanted a bit more detail on the mechanics of the code breaking and the machines. I understand why this stuff tends to get omitted - the execs think it won't play to a multiplex audience who would prefer a few more punch ups - but it made the story a little too generic in places. Still well worth watching though.

[@ciaranmcilhatton6851]

I completely agree with the Blade Runner Voight Kampff test! That was what I immediately associated it with. Also the repeated line of 'Are you listening carefully?' reminded me very much of the device used in the Prestige 'Are you watching closely?'.

[@dmtree__]

The Voight-Kampff test in the book was based on the Turing test, though.

[@themac3116]

Great review good film.

[@altobottomjeans5472]

I caught a couple of mistakes in the maths and pronunciation of mathematical terms in it, and I'm usually a huge stickler for people doing the research on what they put in scripts when they're doing something technical, but the acting was so good that even nerdy old me didn't mind!

[@plymouthlad38]

I loved the film. Great performances from Cumberbatch and by the actor playing the young Touring (Alex Lawther). I think the film got the balance between telling the Bletchley Park story and Turing's homosexuality just right. I thought the film was well paced and telling the story in three separate time strands seemed to work well. I was left with a vivid impression of the brilliant but tortured mind of Turing. I think there was also a nod towards the apocryphal story between Turing and Apple during the film.

[@chrishiggins7166]

With the cast delivering one of their best roles, the film is an illuminating biopic that serves A decent entry into the biography genre. (95%) (5/5 stars) (positive)

[@simpleexplodingmaybe]

Now Cumberbatch as Dekkard would be an interesting proposition. PKD stories have so much enigma in them that we deserve better than Tom Cruise or Colin Farrell action vehicles. Cumberbatch in something like Ubik too.

[@user-xk2hs9qu8m]

...A very good film. Camberbutch and the rest of the cast are great. Like MK inferred, Knightly's role seems a little underplayed (script-wise). And the end had a perfunctory air, i.e. one piece of dialogue and a written line explaining what became of him; (though I suppose that added emphasis to the man's great achievement - and the rightful core of the film). I'd have liked a hint more insight into how his machine worked but that's just nit-picking, and is probably best left as an 'enigma'...

[@kallesaarinen7559]

she says "ou" :D

[@raymondhill7837]

I totally agree with what he said about the brother being on the boat, too much coincidental

[@MultiplexShow]

I think you're giving this film too much credit, Mark. I found the execution very by-the-numbers, and unambiguous.

[@missmangomovies1903]

Did you now, well that's very interesting.

[@drxela123]

Very by-the-numbers? I see what you did there

[@PauLtus_B]

It's an interesting story but I apart from the actors I can't give much credit to anyone working on the film. It's weirdly paced and boringly directed in my idea.

[@selj8287]

There is potential in the story, but the movie did not achieve that

[@affalaffaa]

I liked it, good performances from the usual suspects and as said by others, the lad who plays young Turing was especially believable. If you're looking for a documentary on Bletchley Park then I've read that this film might not hit everything squarely (shock, horror), but if you're looking to kill a couple of hours with some good acting thrown into the bargain you could do a lot worse than this

[@daddyofjames]

I'm sorry to bring a downer on this but I went to watch it last night and came away disappointed. I appreciate there has to be historical artistic licence but after reading Sinclair McKay's book and having been to Bletchley Park, this film is a travesty of what happened. It almost comes across that five people broke and worked out the content of Enigma. Deniston was misrepresented. The acting was very very good, especially the young man who played Turing Jnr, but the film could have been so much more accurate. For example, Churchill's actual response to Turing's demands was a hand written note "Action this day", which is far more dramatic than the script. Sorry Mark, but it really left me cold.

[@daddyofjames]

Thank you Christopher for putting me onto the other books..I have Station X already but haven't started it yet.

[@yt8co]

One of the worst films I've ever seen if you know how historically inaccurate it is. There is no explanation for this film other than that it was made by someone who hated Alan Turing. He was never complicit with soviet espionage, he never sacrificed a convoy of civilians, he never lied to his wife about his homosexuality, and he didn't have weird movie autism. I don't know what Mark is going on about. Keira Knightley was good in it though.

[@chickensdontclap147]

Cumberbatch was great. The story is fascinating. The script, however seemed like it was written by a hungover Aaron Sorkin doing Oscar bait Mad Libs.

[@PauLtus_B]

+Dallas Jokic Have to agree. The 3 timelines are put together in a way which is really weird. In the latest timeline there is this police investigation which doesn't really cut well into the story of the invention, there's a moment this detective and Turing sit down to have Turing tell his story, in every other story doing it like this that's where you'd go back in time to see Turings story but in this movie you have already heard 2/3's of that story. Also the direction looks very tv, camera is just kinda there and peoples faces are usually about at 2/3's of the frame looking at the opposite side, I cared little enough to notice things like that. Occasionally cutting to pretty bad CGI images doesn't help it either.

[@philipellis7039]

Watched this last night and was interested to see what Kermode had said about this multi award winning film. Clearly he doesn't watch Big Bang Theory as so much of it is like Sheldon Cooper vs the Nazis, there's even a joke lifted from BBT ( although I'm sure the shoelace joke predates those lovable rogues in Pasadena). The heavy explanatory dialogue, the little captions with facts, the often pointless flashbacks. Please just tell the story and let us work the rest out for ourselves.

[@jc13jach3]

I thought it looked decent, but the moment I saw 'Tinker, Tailor, Solider Spy' on the poster, a film I highly anticipated and ended up being very disappointed with the final product. I don't think I'll be giving this a chance until it's cheap on Blu-ray.

[@DavidL1986]

i didnt rate tinker tailor but loved this. your missing out. plus this is based on a true story

[@PauLtus_B]

I barely understood Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and still liked it a lot more than the imitation game.

[@789teken]

Тhis mоviеее is nоw аvailablе to watсh hеre => twitter.com/8a6f22b43ccc3730b/status/795843501992787968 Mаrk Кееrmоdе reviеееws Тhe Imitаtiоn Gаmе

[@drxela123]

What I find funny in video comments and online are the people complaining that what happened IN A MOVIE was different to what happened IN REAL LIFE. Oh, really? You mean a piece of entertainment didn't stay 100% correct to history? Tell me more.

[@MickJaggerLoveChild]

Has Mark been paid to say good things about Kiera Knightley all of a sudden? Not long ago he claimed she couldn't act, and now every film he reviews with her in it he talks about her like she's Meryl Streep!! Nothings changed, she can't act, end of story.

[@edeliteedelite1961]

A bad movie.

[@michaelandremovies]

terrible film