The Imitation Game Review

So I Wanna Know....What's The Name Of The (Imitation) Game?

Depicting people with Asperger's Syndrome in media has always been a bit of a difficult challenge, which is a disappointing to me as a person with Asperger's. Most shows fail to even pinpoint characters who display tendencies of Asperger's as actually having that symptom, rather nothing them as "special" or "funny" in order to avoid offending any specific groups if the portrayal comes off as a subpar. That tactic, which is utilized for the main character, Alan Turing, in The Imitation Game, can be put to good use, as this feature demonstrates.


The lack of a specific diagnoses for Alan and his more unique tendencies just reinforces how separated he is from the world, which leads Alan to act aloof to his coworkers as they try to crack an unbreakable Nazi code and help Europe to victory in World War II. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Turing excellently, helping to make the character not only an effective portrayal of Asperger's Syndrome (a sharp contrast to the likes of the abysmal Sheldon Cooper), but also simply a terrific character in his own right.

Those two declarations are actually more closely linked than you might think; Cumberbatch utilizes the nuances of Aspergers to support the performance and make Turing a character worth watching even when he's acting in a more obtuse manner. Unfortunately, early sequences depicting Turing's rivalry between him and his workmates is rudimentary, mainly because it's just so by the numbers. It doesn't last long thankfully, but it never really surprises, even if it does deliver an amusing sequence where Turing gives his work chums apples and an anecdote involving two men and a bear.

Even in those sequences that lag, Cumberbatch remains a startlingly fascinating actor to watch, especially since the script makes Turing a very complex and sympathetic character. The story achieves this feat through a storytelling structure that has the film predominantly set during the 40's, but also flashes forward to the 50's and back to Turing's childhood. These flashbacks and flashforwards are handled remarkably well and never become a distraction. On the contrary, the finale brilliantly merges all the events into a colossally successful scene that's devastating in it's emotional impact.

That aforementioned conclusion heavily involve Kiera Knightly's character, Joan Clarke. She's an extremely intriguing character, with her drive to accomplish great things during the War making her a perfect pal for Turing. The two outsiders bond over the machine Turing is creating, Christopher, and the dynamic between the duo is always a treat to watch within the film. Even with one or two extraneous scenes within it's running time, The Imitation Game is similarly a treat to watch, especially for Cumberbatch's performance and an ending that I really got enraptured with.