He was the pioneer in the field of electricity whom I only know by name and by his inventions like the light bulb, phonograph and motion pictures, but honestly know very little about his life or his personality. That was why when there was this film about Thomas Edison I knew this was my chance to get a glimpse into this genius' life, and how he related to other famous contemporaries in his field, like Tesla or Westinghouse.
It was the 1880s and Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch in another one of his stereotype portrayals of savants, like Dr. Strange, Alan Turing or Sherlock Holmes) was already a celebrity scientist. Together with his staff, Edison developed the long-lasting light bulb to much acclaim, and now going to light up entire cities using direct current electricity. George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon, barely recognizable under all the heavy facial hair), wealthy from his invention of the air brakes system for steam trains, insisted that alternating current electricity can supply electricity at a much cheaper cost.
While Westinghouse criticized the high cost and limited coverage of direct current, Edison hyped up on the riskiness of alternating current for causing deaths (and even inspired the invention of the electric chair). Edison was shown to be an obsessive technological prodigy with a flawed moral compass. He was a media darling, but his financial acumen and commitment to family were wanting. Westinghouse had a dry yet upright personality, more business savvy, and an aggressively supportive wife Marguerite (Katherine Waterston) behind him. Beyond the contrast in personalities, the film was about the race of Edison and Westinghouse to bid to illuminate the Chicago World Fair of 1893.
Meanwhile Serbian immigrant and eccentric genius Nikola Tesla (a debonair and charismatic Nicholas Hoult) shuttled between Edison to Westinghouse, selling them his fantastic machines "which worked perfectly in his head" that have yet to become realities. Also prominently in on all this action was banker John Pierpoint (or more popularly known as J.P.) Morgan (Matthew Macfadyen with a prominently big red nose), whose financial support was badly needed by the competing scientists to make their ambitious projects come to life. Edison's secretary Samuel Insull (played by a mousy Tom Holland) had one moment to shine as he represented his boss at a product presentation.
A film about the AC v. DC electricity distribution may sound dry on paper, but director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (with all his camera tricks) was somehow able to tell the story with a sense of simmering excitement and drama. The image of the American map gradually getting lit up was an effective device to show the progress of the "war." It was clearly evident that the more interesting Nikola Tesla and his genius deserves a movie of his own. Of course, we are wary of cinematic license use to heighten the drama (they did start with a disclaimer that this was "inspired" by true events), so further reading will have to straighten out the factual details. 7/10.
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