Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslett, Seth Rogan, Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg, Katherine Waterston, Perla Haney-Jardine, Sarah Snook, John Ortiz, Adam Shapiro, John Steen, Stan Roth, Mihran Slougian, Robert Anthony Peters, Noreen Lee, Gail Fenton.

There is no doubt that Steve Jobs was magnetic personality, that the brains behind some of the ideas of personal computing of the last 40 years have his own indelible stamp upon them and that whilst being deeply flawed, as all reasonable people are apt to be, Danny Boyle’s biopic of the man behind Apple somehow manages to leave the casual viewer feeling aloof and disconnected from the subject at hand.

Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay offers a view into not only the subject but also into his personal relationships with some of the key players in his life, Steve Wozniak, portrayed with good grace by Seth Rogan, a part which can leave some cinema-goers conflicted who find his comedy roles lacking in substance but, as in this particular case proves yet again, his serious contributions to drama are full of pathos and outstanding grit, Andy Hertzfeld, John Sculley, Chrisann Brennan and perhaps most notably the woman he called his work wife, Joanna Hoffman. It is in these relationships that the man is shaped, formed and even lauded and yet underneath it is arguably a tale of dominance, of control and the ugly side of influence.

Michael Fassbender never seems to be put a foot wrong on screen and whilst immersing himself completely into the role, there still feels as though there is something missing, an element of the story which should delve further into the psyche of the man who made Apple the giant it is.

Produced with clever direction, the homage to the different states of cinematic recording styles not lost upon the cinema-goer, Danny Boyle certainly captured the several moments that the film hangs upon but it is not the best work that the renowned Director has brought to the screen and one that perhaps should have waited a little while longer after the man’s passing before being committed to the screen.

A fair appraisal of Steve Jobs but one that feels its own self imposed restraint far too much to be a significant film of 2015.

Ian D. Hall