Cumberbatch fans rejoice; fans of Sherlock or one of the other multiple films that Benedict Cumberbatch has starred in the last year were able to witness his best performance yet. The Imitation Game focuses on the extensive work that mathematician Alan Turing, played wonderfully by Cumberbatch, did during World War II trying to break a Nazi code. While doing this Turing attempts to hide his homosexuality from the rest of his team of code breakers (at that time in Britain it was illegal for people to be gay). While the movie does a very good job at telling the story, it doesn’t take as many risks as some of the other Best Picture nominees (i.e. Boyhood, Birdman, or The Grand Budapest Hotel). It is a worthy pick for a Best Picture nomination, but doesn’t have a wow factor behind it. The acting is still superb. Along with Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley plays off the characters very well. The supporting cast as a whole is bland otherwise, but Knightley shows glimmers of perfection.
Reasons it wins:
- Nominated for the second most Oscars with eight categories.
- If Birdman, Boyhood, and The Grand Budapest Hotel all split votes, The Imitation Game comes out on top.
- Cumberbatch is still in contention to win best actor.
- It was one of the favorites (with Boyhood) at the time of the nomination; it could find one last bit of steam and put it over the edge.
- It is the front runner to win Adapted Screenplay.
- Its director, Morten Tyldum, is nominated for an Oscar, which usually determines who the front runners for Best Picture are.
Reasons it loses:
- Best Director nominee, Morten Tyldum, has gotten zero buzz for his nomination.
- Benedict Cumberbatch is in too big of a category of great performances to even be considered.
- Keira Knightley is in the same situation as Cumberbatch.
- It lost out to The Theory of Everything for Best British film at the BAFTAs.
Possible outcome: Let’s humor The Imitation Game…they probably get one Oscar win
Best Case Scenario: It wins Best Adapted Screenplay and Score.
Worst (and most likely) Case Scenario: It goes home with zero Oscars (which could very easily occur).
Rated R for Reviewed 