Review: Steve Jobs (2015)

Steve Jobs, as the title suggests, is a biopic based on the life of the Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs, starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels. The film, directed by Danny Boyle and with screenplay by Aaron Sorkin, is divided into three acts, each following high tempo and tense lead ups to three of the biggest product launches hosted by Jobs; the Macintosh, the NeXT Computer, and the iMac, and underscored by Jobs’ relationship with his daughter and co-workers. Following the box office flop of the 2013 take on Jobs, expectations for this were, understandably, a little bit higher considering the backing of Boyle and Sorkin. However, throughout the entire film I couldn’t help but feel that something was missing.Apple is a product that almost everybody knows. And Steve Jobs is the name most associated with this. And with Steve Jobs comes his infamous Keynote addresses. There was no Keynote in this film. You saw the preparation, you saw the lights, the energy in the auditoriums, you saw the aftermath. But there isn’t any part of a Keynote address. I can understand why Boyle left this out, but personally, I really just feel like it’s a missed opportunity.One other thing that I will say, however, is that the dialogue of the opening scenes is littered with names and events mentioned in passing that you could very easily get lost in without some idea of the product and company history. By no means let this dissuade you from seeing this film even if you know nothing about Apple. It has something for everyone, whether it be the strength of the score, the performances or the cinematography.In terms of the cast, nothing can be faulted. While Fassbender bears little to no physical resemblance to Jobs, he still manages to completely encapsulate the character, and you’d be forgiven for forgetting that this isn’t actually Jobs. Seth Rogen has to be mentioned; it may be naïve of me to say, but I had never considered him as an actor for a serious role, always connecting him with comedy (and inevitably something to do with James Franco). He completely blows this expectation out of the water in Steve Jobs with his performance of Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple), quelling any question of him not being as diverse as Hollywood’s finest.The intensity of the screenplay and performances does not dissipate, they somehow continue throughout the film, right up until the final sequence, when it becomes absolutely overwhelming and reaches its crescendo. Complimenting this is Daniel Pemberton’s score, which hits you at all the right moments and at no point feels forced.Stylistically I found it to be enthralling. There is absolutely no question as to why the editing is tipped for an Oscar. The cuts were unobtrusive, creating a smooth and stylish cinematic experience. One sequence in particular, set before the launch of the NeXT Computer in 1988, flashes between the current confrontation between Jobs and John Sculley (Jeff Daniels) and a flashback to the cause of the confrontation where Sculley begins to push the phasing out of the Macintosh, and Jobs’ ousting from the board of directors. While this technique is used on a number of other occasions in the film, this scene is absolutely electric, the tension and power in the atmosphere would leave you caught for breath. It utilises the talent of Fassbender and Daniels to create something explosive.At a running time of just over two hours, I felt that I could have watched a little bit more, even to include one more product launch, and this is all to do with the performances which reel you in without you even noticing. I’d recommend this film to anyone, not only as a different view of Steve Jobs or Apple, but also purely as a piece of cinema.