DVD Review: The Current War

The Current War
(DVD Current)

Before this movie came out, I had heard that a film was being produced about the great conflict between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse on the creation of a nationwide system to bring electricity to America and was anxious to see it. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Thomas Edison, a creative genius who is portrayed as a workaholic with little time for his family as he works to introduce his DC system to the great minds of his time. With financial backing from J.P. Morgan and the creative assistance of Nikola Tesla, Edison is sure to be the first to bring light and electricity to the Eastern United States. However, George Westinghouse has plans to beat Edison with his AC current which can be done much cheaper than Edison’s system. Unwilling to work together, they eventually are brought together by Edison’s financier, integrating their systems into one. Tom Holland plays Edison’s assistant, Sam Insuell, and Nicholas Hoult is superb as the eccentric genius Nikola Tesla. This was a fabulous movie that should have received more praise than it did at the time of its release. It was well worth watching.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the other films of Benedict Cumberbatch.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official The Current War web site ]

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library – Public Services

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