Steve Jobs Review (2015)

Steve Jobs 

  After Jobs, staring Ashton Kutcher, failed miserably, Danny Boyle (Director of Slumdog Millionare and 28 Days Later) decides to give us his version of the life behind Apple's co-founder. 

  The movie stars Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, and Jeff Daniels. It begins in 1984 as Jobs is about to unveil the first Macintosh and takes us all the way to 1998 where he revolutionizes the computer with the iMac.

  Before going in, you should know that this movie is completely dialogue driven. There are no crazy action sequences or car chases, it's just people in intense conversations. I really appreciate the screenwriters here, because the movie didn't feel overlong or boring, it was always compelling. Fassbender is no newbie to these intense type roles and he absolutely nailed Steve Job's narcissistic, irritable personality. While most of the movie is Jobs arguing before a presentation of his next product, Boyle cleverly provides exposition into Jobs complex character without explicitly laying it out before us. Fassbender's nuanced performance really added to the film and made you care for him despite his sometimes despicable personality. The cinematography is another plus for this film. The three acts were shot on 16mm, 35mm, and digital cameras to demonstrate the progress and development in technology as we switched from decade to decade. Also the symmetry of the shots, the way the close ups aligned perfectly with Fassbender's face, and the overviews of the crowd stomping their feet or clapping really reminded me of 2014's Whiplash. 

  I really liked the way Boyle captured Jobs relationship with his daughter and how they brought it full circle in the end as the climax. My only gripe with the film is how over-dramatized some of the fights were. It seemed like every couple arguments were in front of some absurd crowd of people and I kept wondering, "You couldn't have had this conversation anywhere else?" That aside, I really enjoyed this film and would give it an 7 out of 10 stars. (Very Good)