Eddie Redmayne dazzles in Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything

WHY didn’t they just call it A Brief History of Stephen Hawking? Here’s how his beautiful mind came to be in his younger days.

The Theory Of Everything (PG)

Director: James Marsh (Shadow Dancer)

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Harry Lloyd, David Thewlis, Emily Watson.

Rating: ***

More than just a matter of time

They say pressure makes diamonds. Well, here is the true story of how a rare jewel of an intellect was formed under incredible duress.

The brain in question belongs to legendary astrophysicist Stephen Hawking (played by Eddie Redmayne), and it is his formative years on the far frontiers of deep, revolutionary thinking that are (kind of) covered here.

Early on, The Theory Of Everything looks to be heading in a rather worrying direction.

Student days ... Harry Lloyd and Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything.

As a rising star in his chosen field as a young man, Hawking is presented as little more than a Harry Potter of the high intelligentsia.

Sure, he likes girls and goofing off as much as the next lad. But Steve the student is capable of real magic when he puts his rather distracted mind to it.

However, it is not until his body is rapidly devastated by the ravages of motor neurone disease

in his twenties that Hawking gets his act together, and begins famously decrypting the mysteries of the universe.

Young love ... Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne play husaband and wife.

Once The Theory Of Everything reaches this transitional period of Hawking’s storied career, the film immediately rights itself from its wonky beginnings.

Given only two years to live by the most optimistic specialists of the era — and with most of his physical faculties shutting down at a frightening rate — Hawking not only kept his intelligence intact.

His mind began to expand towards radical new concepts that would leave many of his peers struggling to catch up.

Fear not: the makers of The Theory Of Everything keep the finer points of time theory and associated intellectual gymnastics to a minimum.

Instead, the broad scope of Hawking’s achievements are fused to exploring a touching, yet trying relationship with his wife Jane (Felicity Jones).

Those with more than a basic knowledge of the Hawking story may find that The Theory Of Everything plays it a bit too safe and sanitised for its own good.

Particularly when considering what later became of his marriage to Jane (whose controversially “revised” memoirs serve as the basis for much of the screenplay).

There can be no faulting Redmayne’s astonishingly expressive portrayal of Hawking, however.

This talented actor (best remembered as the kid with a fleeting crush on Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn) has a subtly economic range that is very well suited to this role.