You’d think a movie about the guy who invented movies would be better, no? I mean, as The Current War describes the drama surrounding the life of Thomas Edison, it should be exactly what Edison envisioned when he patented the kinetoscope. Of course, times have changed dramatically since the days of the penny arcade. But plots have not and this one begs the question of why we bothered examining the history of modern electricity.
The 21st century has redefined Thomas Edison as a tireless egomaniac, Nikola Tesla as an underappreciated genius, and George Westinghouse as a name that might appear on an appliance your grandmother owns. The Current War aimed to set the record straight on all three men but kinda didn’t on all counts.
In the Edison corner, Thomas (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his assistant Samuel Insull (Tom Holland) brought direct current to the masses. For a guy I imagined spent all day in a lab, this Edison took many meetings… with subordinates, with reporters, and with his benefactor, J.P. Morgan (Matthew Macfadyen). He even missed his own wife’s death to check in with J.P., which is real bad look. It’s one thing to say you missed your wife’s death because you were too busy inventing the phonograph; that’s almost understandable. But … missed your wife death because you were haggling over money? Not a good look.
George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) was presented as curious businessman, the kind of entrepreneur we all assume applies to modern billionaires (oh, if you only knew). He brought alternating current to the masses, which proved cheaper, more efficient, and just a little lethal, but what’s a body or two when it comes to lighting up Pittsburgh?
The lethality of alternating current (and not the domination of America’s burgeoning grid system) becomes the central conflict in the film when Edison shows how alternating current can kill a horse, and then is asked to design the electric chair …which he agrees, but only if put in Westinghouse’s name. Edison was something of a pacifist, see? Awww. Isn’t that cute? You’ll only design something lethal if it doesn’t carry your name. I can’t decide whether this position is direct bullshit or alternating bullshit.
Basically, this film has taken the entire history of modern electricity consumption and reduced it to: “Which douchebag was responsible for the electric chair?” And you know what? It doesn’t matter. “Humane execution” is an oxymoron; if you’re looking for a referendum on the use of the electric chair as cruel and unusual punishment go check out The Green Mile. This film was supposed to be about who brought lightbulbs to dim bulbs.
Oh, and Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult) was also in the film. If you learned anything at all about Tesla from this five-minute introduction, congratulations. I didn’t.
It was nice that Cumberbatch and Holland took time away from their collective avenging; it’s a shame their efforts were wasted on a fairly misplaced and indirect conflict. Edison and Westinghouse don’t actually meet in the film until there’s two minutes left of screentime. Until then it’s “he said, he said” with a sprinkling (“coiling?”) of Tesla to remind viewers that names will be dropped, and dropped often. Just when you’ve had enough of Westinghouse, Morgan, Tesla, and Edison, the film introduced the panel for the Chicago World Fair of 1893. Are you sure you’re done there, film? Weren’t there more 1890s figures you could blandly toss at me? Grover Cleveland? Gilbert and Sullivan? PT Barnum? Oh, it got them, too. Great. Congratulations.
One of the few cases in which I defy imdb – I falt-out refuse to call this film The Current War: Director’s Cut. That just sounds stupid. And also, if this is the director’s cut; what the heck was the original 2017 version like? No. I don’t want to know. The Current War has some welcome actors and giving reasonable performances but was hardly the electric light show it promised to be.
Inventor Thomas was frequently on
Leaving spectators without room to yawn
Yet this submission
Proves useless addition
Exactly what is this Edison Con?
Rated PG-13, 102 Minutes
Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Writer: Michael Mitnick
Genre: Historical interpretation
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Westinghouse heirs
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Edison heirs
