Boyle’s half biopic, half fictional account of Jobs is cleverly told and shot in three sections in three very distinctive styles. Beginning in 1984 and venturing right the way through to 1998 with the unravelling of the imac it charts Jobs’ life at three major product launches. Only viewing him at these three iconic moments is more effective than it sounds on the outset and actually gives huge exposition to who he was. This is displayed through exposition of his relationship with his daughter and with his colleagues, revealing that he was greatly disliked. Boyle’s direction is extremely effective and presents the gradual progression of arguably the most significant force behind the technology of today.
The cast are brilliant acr
oss the board. Fassbender gives a bold and brilliant performance as Jobs, comfortable in taking the helm of a dialogue driven drama and portraying shades of arrogance and confidence while also delivering a degree of sympathy towards Jobs in his fantastic performance. Kate Winslet is also superb as Jobs’ right-hand woman and head of marketing Joanna Hoffman. Playing a fierce female character, this time with a soft Polish accent - which is accentuated more in segments two and three than it is at the beginning – Winslet shows once again how versatile she is and how she can step into any role and truly make it her own.
After his role in The Martian it’s nice to see Jeff Daniels making a comeback to the big screen this year and he gives a solid performance here as John Scully. Seth Rogen also stands out as Steve Wozniak, the man who worked with Jobs and came up with the nuts and bolts of Apple in a garage of all places! Rogen is charismatic and charming and gets to play one of the more likeable and sympathetic characters in the film.
The soundtrack is electric and syncs in well with the different times depicted in the film. It moves with the times and gives a great atmosphere to the story. Boyle’s direction as ever is seamless and he reminds us again how adaptable and diverse he is with his films. This, like all of his other ventures is original in its own way and although he may take risks they always pay off in some way or another and there is always something to get from them. In this case it’s an intriguing insight into a late icon who gave us one of the most principal and dominant forces in the technological age that will continue to develop and enhance in many years to come.