It’s a decent piece of filmmaking in terms of cinematography and the odd bit of dialogue, but in the end, there’s little to separate it from other movies in which Cumberbatch plays a genius.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jul 14, 2024

If we wish to know where we鈥檙e going, we need to know where we鈥檝e been. The Current War will remind us of our mostly great past and the power of original thought, ingenuity, drive, sweat equity, and persuasion.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Mar 29, 2023

An illuminating tale in need of more direct (narrative) current.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 16, 2021

There's a joy to its visual invention -- even if it sometimes piles on the chaos a little too much.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 16, 2020

Stylish and intriguing with strong performances all-round but that light bulb blows and sizzles out.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 8, 2020

In the end, The Current War really does feel like a product of its past.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Feb 26, 2020

Everything, even the most dramatic scenes, stays on the surface. [Full review in spanish]

| Original Score: 2/5 | Jan 30, 2020

Even if the plot is uneven at times... the personal drama, the impressive cinematography, and the historical focus make the movie an attractive project. [Full Review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 13, 2020

The Current War is an experience evocative of the most inventive decade in history. [Full Review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | Dec 30, 2019

An interesting and important story told in a lackadaisical fashion.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Oct 27, 2019

Cumberbatch and Shannon waste their time in this high-brow re-enactment, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 16, 2019

The film does its best to spark energy and dramatic tension with the score, editing and performances from a superhero-powered cast, but the light bulb moments are few and far between.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 16, 2019

The film falls back on the myth of modernity being born in the laps of practical, native-born American ingenuity.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | Sep 29, 2019

The Current War is a botched screenplay with too many hands in the kitchen. One of TIFF 2017'a biggest duds.

| Original Score: C | Aug 20, 2019

If the story doesn't quite gel, and the characters are not given the depth they deserve, at least the performances are strong enough to keep the audience's interests from fading.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 16, 2019

For a movie that's supposed to be about invention, progress and the dawn of the future, 'The Current War' is absolutely none of these things.

| Original Score: 1.5/5 | Aug 6, 2019

A film that could easily slip into cinemas and then slip out again. That would be a loss. For cinema fans, it comes with built-in curiosity value, but it also has more than enough to make it worth the effort.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 5, 2019

The Current War seems to have suffered from its tumultuous production history. Or, just maybe, it was always destined to be this ungainly.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 4, 2019

The Current War is highly stylised and edited for pace, ensuring that even the most obtuse teen will be carried along by the bombastic staging and heightened performances.

| Aug 2, 2019

Too many sub plots (The electric chair! Trade fairs!) and weird dream sequences detect from what should have really lit up the screen (ha!).

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 1, 2019