I took a trip to my local flix the other day and watched "The Theory of Everything." The biopic film based on the life of greatly renowned physicist, cosmologist Stephen Hawking was so brilliantly played by Eddie Redmayne I had to remind myself at least several times that he was not the real character!

Hooking the audience in right from the word go the movie directed by James Marsh begins in 1963 where Hawking a sprightly Cambridge PhD student meets his first wife Jane studying for an arts doctorate, so well played by Felicity Jones.

Hawking suffers a nasty fall, his face smacks down onto Trinity Hall's flagstones... We soon find that he has motor neurones disease, having justmovieflix only 2 years left to live... The movie shows how Hawking and his wife Jane dealt with his debilitating motor neurones disease over a stretch of some 30 years with their 3 children...

At face value it is essentially a love story

At face value it is essentially a love story, formulistic to its genre, but a classy, enjoyable and well-made movie, based on Jane's memoir 'Travelling to Infinity', script adapted by Anthony McCarten. Tastefully, discreetly dealt with the movie however, doesn't mention some of the more awkward things that could have been considered during the relationship.

Did the couple ever argue and fight? Could there have been more on the limitations and frustrations for the couple related to Hawking's worsening debilitating illness..? Then there were the couple's differences, him, an atheist, while her, religious... Here, I found the dialogue to be rather sanitized, lacking in any substance or drama.

However, I found the movie to be brilliantly handled when Jane comes into contact with a nearby widowed choirmaster, Jonathan, adeptly played by Charlie Cox. We wonder how long the God-fearing wife Jane and Jonathan's relationship will stay plutonic as he finds himself integrated into the family as a friend and carer.

As for the science, it carefully stays on layman's terms and works well, managing to hold the audience's attention...

-As already mentioned, I have to say that the film undoubtedly goes to Eddie Redmayne and his portrayal of Hawking. In this demanding role he handles the warm, sprightly and witty side to the intellectual giant Hawking very well. His mannerisms, physicality especially those related to the character's suffering work a treat without being over the top and overly dramatic.

What the movie doesn't mention

I would like to take this as an opportunity to briefly bring to your attention what the movie really doesn't mention, typical of all mainstream media. There are 2 major things that have such an impact on the scientific approach.

The first is atheism. The fact that scientists, as brilliant as they can be in their fields, are not willing to embrace the idea of bringing together science and spirituality is a major hold up in humanity's progression.

The second is that scientists in order to progress need to realize how little we know as a race and treat this realization of a lack of knowledge as a catalyst for opening up possibility... rather than restrict themselves to their dogmatic know-it-all bubbles.

Also, there have been quite significant developments in the treatment of motor neurones disease (and other diseases) using the natural health based approach. I will be putting out an article on this in time.