Hawking (2013) User Reviews

The Man

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 15 August 2014]

Hawking is the extraordinary story of the planet's most famous living scientist, told for the first time in his own words and by those closest to him. Made with unique access to Hawking's private life, this is an intimate and moving journey into Stephen's world, both past and present.

This ground was already covered to some degree by Errol Morris in his "Brief History of Time", but this is something of an update. For those who continue to find Hawking fascinating, there can never be too much of his story told. And this is a more personal, raw story, Stephen at his most vulnerable.

The friendship with Jim Carrey is odd, but who knows?

Excellent if curious, though it can be a bit overwhelming

[Amari-Sali · 8/10 · 13 October 2013]

In the film Stephen Hawkings ponders to himself whether his celebrity, if not the interest in his person, more so comes from his work and discoveries, or more so from his disability? Sad to say, I, like many probably, knew of him more as the peculiar, and sometimes off putting, man who would show up randomly in media. Be it his episode in The Simpsons, his iconic voice, or his mention of shows like Big Bang Theory, he was a man I knew of, but didn't know why exactly he was famous. So, with this movie, I got a quick run through of the man's life in his own words.

To begin, this biographical documentary is obviously about Stephen Hawking, and alongside him are his first wife, sister and a slew of former students and colleagues. Strangely, we don't see his children from his first marriage, or his 2nd wife, but you can't get everything right? Still, Hawking surprisingly, even with his robotic voice, makes for a decent narrator and though his personality only shines in a handful of moments, he does leave you with the feeling that despite being the Einstein of our age, like Einstein, he knows how to have a little fun.

As for what the film covers, it starts in the beginning talking about his childhood and leaves things around August 2012. You learn quite a bit through this period, like the fact he wasn't always bound to his chair. It makes the story a bit sad to see this man who was brilliant, social and a bit eccentric forced to live trapped in his body, and admittedly it can depress you to the point of pausing the film. Yet still, Hawking tries his best to keep things from becoming too depressing by talking about his many scientific breakthroughs, in quite a bit of detail, and showing home movie footage reminding you that despite how his life may seem, he is quite happy.

Now, with every documentary comes a lot of information, and those interested in Hawking or his work will definitely be given a good overview of the man's life and accomplishments. It goes into his personal life a tad, though it breezes over his second wife, and when it comes to the science discoveries, the amount of information makes you feel you are in a college class. At the same time though, despite it being a bit in depth, you can at least get enough of a grasp on what is said to understand how important this man is to science. Also, something I liked, was that the film mixed in the good times, bad times, and while we never really see Stephen in a bad light, there is the occasional story of him being upset or hard to deal with. It makes it so that while it does sort of uplift and exemplify him, it also gives enough human aspects to keep it to feel like the film is basically superficial.

I have to say though, I did find it hard at times to finish the film only because it can easily get you down, due to him going from eccentric and zany to being chair bound, and the parts when he talks about his research can quickly push away your interest. The amount of detail, though very much a plus, also sometimes seems like it was made for students to watch like an introductory video. Be it because I'm not used to watching biographies on the lives of non-entertainment figures, or because my curiosity wasn't strong enough to keep attentive, I will definitely say that as much as I am happy to know more, when I finished the film it was like finishing writing a final paper for a class. Lastly, there were times Stephen was talking when I definitely felt like subtitles were needed.

Overall: Watch if interested

For people like me who only have a childlike curiosity about the man, this film is not for you. It goes into great detail and assumes you want to know everything and more about the man and his work, and really it goes a bit overboard for my taste. Still, Hawking very much is a well- made film and it makes you wish other living prominent figures would create similar films chronicling their lives. So, overall, I would say this film is definitely for those who truly have an interest in this man's life and/or work more so than those just looking for the basics. Those of you looking for the basics are perhaps better catching the movie with Benedict Cumberbatch under the same title, but made in 2004. I haven't seen it to recommend it, but it is featured in the film and Hawking seems a bit in awe of it.

Finely Detailed Portrait of a True Genius

[l_rawjalaurence · 7/10 · 8 December 2013]

Filmed with the full cooperation of its subject, HAWKING tells the life- story of a great scientist, global celebrity and courageous fighter against debilitating disease. From an early stage Stephen Hawking was always destined to be different; he grew up in an unconventional household, and throughout his university career he found the workload almost too easy. It was only when he discovered he had motor neurone disease, while completing his doctoral thesis, that he discovered the urgency of his research; he never knew when he was going to die or not. The film charts Hawking's meteoric rise to fame, while at the same showing how he became less and less able to move any part of his body. He has always been a great fighter, even though living with him proved difficult for his his ex-wife Jane. The film has some interesting omissions; we do not hear anything from his children or his second ex- wife. Nonetheless it pays tribute to Hawking's unique ability to render difficult scientific concepts accessible to mass audiences. This is someone who thoroughly deserves the recognition he has achieved. HAWKING can prove difficult to watch at times; it does not shy away from discussing Hawking's medical disabilities in graphic detail. On the whole, however, it is an optimistic piece, celebrating the strength of the human spirit.

short but interesting

[cherold · 7/10 · 9 July 2022]

Interesting little sketch of Hawking. Very much a talking head documentary, but interesting story. And I love the way Jane Hawking speaks; she's full of beautiful phrases.

A Remarkable Personal Portrait of Enigmatic Celebrity Physicist

[JustCuriosity · 9/10 · 12 May 2013]

Hawking was well-received in its world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. The film is a biopic about Stephen Hawking the celebrity physicist who has become an emblem of science, a medical miracle, and a hero to everyone struggling with a disability. Hawking has survived for fifty years with ALS when he was expected to die within a few years. Hawking has become an icon in popular culture both because of, and in spite of, his severe disability. In a sense, he has demonstrated the power of the mind can triumph despite the limitations of the physical body. His artificial computerized voice has become symbolic of his triumphs over his disability. Hawking captures this eloquently. The film mentions his scientific discoveries, but focuses on his remarkable life story and presents it in an accessible way to the general public. Stephen Hawking is one of the few celebrities who truly deserves the great acclaim that he receives in popular culture. Fittingly, Stephen Hawking narrates his story in his own famous electronic voice. The film is a moving tribute to a man who has made great scientific discoveries, helped to popularize scientific ideas to the general public, and brought hope to millions through his persistence and refusal to surrender to his disease.

Hawking: Brief History of Mine

[jboothmillard · 7/10 · 12 March 2017]

I had seen the documentary film A Brief History of Time, and the Oscar winning Eddie Redmayne movie The Theory of Everything, so I was most interested to see a new documentary with much more detail about the life and career of a great man and mind. English theoretical physicist and cosmologist Professor Stephen Hawking is one of the most famous scientists in history, and this documentary focused on all aspects of his life and career, from his youth to the present day, told by himself and those closest to him. Starting from his study of astrophysics in Cambridge University, his slow progression and deterioration from motor neurone disease, or ALS, his graduation and PhD degree, and his marriage to first wife Jane. Then it continues to his rise to fame, discovering new theories of black holes, the beginning of the universe, space and time and many more, and the writing of his book A Brief History of Time, which became a worldwide best seller. It also explains his life-threatening pneumonia and the tracheotomy that ended his ability to speak, the details of his speech synthesiser, and how despite these setbacks he continued his work, including at Cambridge University, and became the famous genius he is. It also includes footage of his appearances in episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Simpsons, his appearance at the London 2012 Paralympics Opening Ceremony, his experience of a zero gravity flight, and the information that he has been invited to be a guest on the first flight into outer space. With narration by Hawking, using his copyrighted Equalizer computerised voice, featuring actors playing him and his friends and family for reconstructions, with contributions from Buzz Aldrin, Sir Richard Branson, Jim Carrey, Benedict Cumberbatch (who played Stephen in the 2004 TV movie Hawking), Jane Hawking, Mary Hawking, and many of Hawking's friends, colleagues, students and care workers who love and admire him. Hawking is a great man who has struggled through many challenges, not just his disability, but in his personal life and career as well, this film, co-written by Hawking himself, really gives you an incite into his world, you are in awe of his dedication to his work, his continued sense of humour and his human endeavour, an extraordinary story and most watchable documentary film. Very good!

In his own words...

[samabc-31952 · 8/10 · 17 October 2020]

He narrated his own story in his own voice, the voice of the DECtalk speech synthesizer, was actually Dennis Klatt's voice.. although, it does not cover the facts that actually made him genius but a good watch ..

Lesser Version of A Brief History of Time

[matthewssilverhammer · 6/10 · 24 April 2018]

Basically just a modern, lesser remake of A Brief History of Time. Not as artistically enriching or hypnotizing, though perhaps more accessible, and still respectably covers the incredible life of an incredible man.

Fine BBC movie/documentary on Hawking

[bnemazie · 8/10 · 27 November 2014]

This is a BBC produced movie/documentary that is more detailed about the development of Hawking's scientific thinking than one would see in other science biography movies. It starts with Hawking at 21 and covers his ALS diagnosis and how he and his family reacted to the news. The movie captures the look and feel of the times very well. It captures the environment in Cambridge where Hawking worked on his PhD, the influences on him, and the world of theoretical physics. The movie mostly focuses on the period from 1963 to 1980, so it is rather sparse on Hawking's later life and his later theories. This is a well made movie well worth watching especially if you have an interest in science in general, but also worth watching as a inspirational story of Hawking's tenacity and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds.

A brief history of Hawking

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 6 December 2016]

This is the second documentary that I have seen about Stephen Hawking, the Errol Morris film, A brief history of time from the early 1990s was the first one.

To me this really is about Hawking since then. A worldwide celebrity, still lecturing and writing about Astrophysics and more importantly still alive.

He has since the Errol Morris film been divorced twice, had several dramatisations of his life. This film features interviews with his first wife but his second wife and children are absent.

You get a recount of his life, his childhood, his university days and being struck down by Motor Neuron disease at an early age. We see all the emergency medical equipment he has at his adapted house where he has 24 medical care in case he stops breathing and needs to be revived. As he has gotten older we can see the effects more graphically that his disabilities has on him.

Still Professor Hawking soldiers on, travelling around the world and gets greeted like a rock star. He has the ability to make difficult scientific concepts sound simple and he seems to be comfortable with his celebrity status and his fans.

It is a story about triumph over adversity and Hawking is a remarkable man but very little here was new to me.