Marie Curie was the first person to ever win a Nobel prize twice, and her legacy - alongside that of her husband and of their daughter - is no doubt what appealed to Rosamund Pike when offered this part. Sadly, though, the end product does very little justice to this trailblazing woman. It tries to reconcile her challenges as a scientist with those she faced as a women in man's world; of her immensely competitive instincts with her deep love for her husband (Sam Riley) and her family but in the end fails to impress. Riley is far too lightweight to provide an adequate foil for this strong and determined character and though Pike is efficient, she has way too much dialogue that just doesn't cut through. The lighting and pace are battling each other to see which can be the more soporific and somehow the film just never gets going. I rather liked the concept that it tried to input some of the ultimate effects of their theories into the storyline (i.e. the Hiroshima bomb) but that execution was weak and lacked potency, too. Technically it looks fine, costume and sets all well researched and delivered but that isn't enough to ignite this ponderous and wordy drama. A story told more effectively in 1943 by Greer Garson, if you are looking for something more engaging. This is just standard made for television fodder that will soon be forgotten.
