MOUSTASHIE: The Theory of Everything

THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING

Yesterday I was lucky enough to watch the new Stephen Hawking biopic 'The Theory of Everything', based on his first wife Jane Wilde Hawking's memoir 'Travelling to Infinity: My Life With Stephen'. The film has been doing phenomenally well at the box office, and critics have been eagerly throwing five star ratings at the film left, right and centre. My sister insisted we watch it because of a certain Eddie Redmayne (who we both agree has the most gorgeous green eyes), whilst I was tempted after watching the beautifully cinematic trailer, and of course we both love Felicity Jones after her brilliant performance in 2011's 'Chalet Girl'. So seeing as I'm heading back to Manchester soon, we thought we'd head to the cinema together and see 'The Theory of Everything' for ourselves.

As you can probably guess, we both loved this film. It's the type of film that completely absorbs you, and you don't even realise until the credits roll in, and you suddenly find yourself transported back to real life, looking at the world around you with fresh eyes. It's just wonderful, and for so many different reasons too, which is why I thought I'd list them, instead of inserting them within the wealth of excessive rambling that normally comes out of my imaginative, overly excited and electrically charged cranium. So here goes:

----------------------------------------------------------

EDDIE REDMAYNE'S ACTING

We all know Eddie Redmayne is an extremely talented actor and all round lovely human being, but in 'The Theory of Everything' he takes things even further. His acting is just phenomenal in this film, to the extent that you believe he really is Stephen Hawking. Eddie's dedication towards his role is evident throughout, and as a viewer you can't help but enthusiastically applaud this dedication to ensuring that his portrayal is accurate as possible. It's so touching to see an actor who cares so much about doing his character justice, and how he completely throws himself into the role with no qualms whatsoever. He lives and breathes Stephen Hawking in this film, he captures his pain, joy, struggle and brilliance, as well as the spirit of an amazing person who is so much more than his outer appearance may suggest. Eddie is magnificent, and I thoroughly hope that he is awarded the recognition he so rightly deserves.

FELICITY JONES' ACTING

Felicity Jones puts in an equally touching performance in 'The Theory of Everything', with her emotional and brilliant portrayal of Jane Wilde Hawking perfectly complementing Eddie's portrayal of Stephen. The two together are pure magic, and Felicity's portrayal of Jane naturally evokes your sympathy, compassion and understanding towards Jane, her selfless spirit, her decisions and the difficulties she faced. She does Jane Wilde Hawking complete justice, and presents her as the strong, clever, incredible woman she is, completely deserving of all respect, praise and admiration.

THE WAY IT PORTRAYS STEPHEN HAWKING

I'm sure a lot of people my age are the same as me, in that we know Stephen Hawking as being a highly intelligent man who knows an awful lot about physics, but we don't know a lot about just who he is. Before this film I didn't realise that Stephen had been married, had a family, was educated at Cambridge and Oxford. I didn't realise he was originally given two years to live and is now 72, nor did I realise just how momentous his contributions to physics are. Often I think a lot of us characterise him according to his appearance and professional career, so I love how the film invites you to see the real Stephen. The family man accompanying the highly acclaimed academic, the witty, spirited, fabulous person who has continued pushing the limits of what is possible in spite of all adversity, the man who cares as much about laughter, cracking a joke, love, family, friends, fashion, living life to the full, as he does his incredible academic work. It was wonderful to come away with a better understanding of who Stephen Hawking is in all senses and modalities, and I can't help but have the utmost respect for him.

THE BEAUTIFULLY STUNNING CINEMATOGRAPHY

As if 'The Theory of Everything' didn't dazzle enough on all other fronts, it's lead by director James Marsh's stunning cinematography and directorial decisions which take this film above and beyond the realms of cinema. If you like beautiful things, or even if you're highly impartial to those sorts of things, you can't help but be blown away by the gorgeous cinematic touches and devices employed by Marsh in this film. Marsh's cinematography makes the film a real joy to watch, and perfectly accentuates all other aspects of the film, from the acting, storyline and imparting message. It makes you realise how beautiful life is, from the big moments like kissing the person you love under the stars, to the little moments like the perfect formation of the human eye, or the way the waves roll onto the shore. I'm a big sucker for beautiful visuals, which is another reason why I found this film to be so mesmerizing.

HOW IT INSPIRES YOU & MAKES YOU FEEL HOPEFUL ABOUT LIFE

I love films which make you leave the cinema feeling hopeful about life. The films that touch you, without you realising, and leave you inspired in some shape or form. I love leaving the cinema screen and feeling like I can take on the world, like I've just fallen in love with life all over again, like anything is possible. 'The Theory of Everything' ticks all those boxes. Jane and Stephen's story shows you how adversity can be overcome and doesn't have to limit you, how you should keep on fighting, how to pursue your dreams, how ~~the sky~~ the universe is the limit. It shows you that happiness is all around us, waiting to be found, it shows how life really is in your hands, and that when life knocks you down, you get back up as best you can and carry on fighting, pursuing, challenging, exploring. Just look at what you can find when you do. When I left the cinema I literally felt like I was about to break into some serious Julie-Andrews-Sound-of-Music skipping, because I just felt so happy, and if a film can make you feel that way then you know it's something special.