'Tesla' film review: A biopic every bit as idiosyncratic as its namesake figure
At this point, Nikola Tesla is a bit of a folk hero of sorts - an unheralded and underappreciated innovator in the realm of visionaries and inventors. So it is befitting of the cult figure that the biopic 'Tesla' (opening in select cities and on-demand starting Aug. 21) is itself as eccentric as the real-life futurist.
In short: A stylistic take on visionary inventor Nikola Tesla (Ethan Hawke) and his contentious relations with Thomas Edison (Kyle MacLachlan) and J.P. Morgan's daughter Anne (Eve Hewson) in his efforts to popularize a revolutionary electrical system that could change the world.
One of the great tragedies of cinema so far is the inability to tell the story of how electricity was tamed and used to power our daily lives. And perhaps its appropriate the latest film from writer-director Michael Almereyda ('Marjorie Prime' and 'Experimenter') is not unlike the iconic inventor himself - energetic in its scope but doesn't quite live up to its ambition. 'Tesla' might not be the definitive retelling of the war of the currents, but at least it approaches Tesla with a distinctive flair and tone.
The legend of Tesla is that he was an underappreciated genius far ahead of his time. And it's in this vein that 'Tesla' is not the usual plot driven biopic or even a character driven story - this film is something akin to a personality driven work. 'Tesla' deserves some credit for its forthright disregard for conventions and expectations. This is a film set in the late 1800s where main characters use anachronistic technology to tap into Tesla's vision of the future. It's jarring to see Thomas Edison use a smartphone the way most modern people use one - not marveling at its magnificent tech, but rather as a means of killing time while sitting at the bar. It's this unorthodox approach to storytelling that seems bizarre at first, however, this brazenly strange take emphasizes how truly revolutionary Tesla's ideas were for the time - and how Tesla's vision is realized in today's modern world.
Hawke simmers with an unyielding, quiet intensity as the visionary inventor. His performance could be considered intriguing - if his consistent lack of passion or enthusiasm was unique to his character. Unfortunately all the characters share a flatness of personality. Each character has one gear, from Tesla's unwavering focus to Edison's condescension. Each character is monotone in nature, which in turn, means the characters sound the same in almost any situation. And for a story with various characters harboring competing interests, the film suffers when characters in apparent conflict maintain the same, uniform tone and tenor throughout the film.
Final verdict: 'Tesla' strives to capture the inventor's spirit, however, the story itself is disjointed and advanced by way of clunky business plot points. This movie deserves some credit for making some bold choices, but much like the titular innovator - 'Tesla' is all vision and unrealized potential.
Score: 2.5/5
'Tesla' opens in select theaters and on demand on Aug. 21. This biopic is rated PG-13 for some thematic material and nude images and has a running time of
