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The Current War

2018 • 1h 48m •
Drama History
MOVIEVIBE Rating
★ 6.7/10
1,176 reviews
Your Rating
The Current War

Electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse compete to create a sustainable system and market it to the American people.

"Power changes everything"

Top Billed Cast

Benedict Cumberbatch
Benedict Cumberbatch
Thomas Edison
Michael Shannon
Michael Shannon
George Westinghouse
Nicholas Hoult
Nicholas Hoult
Nikola Tesla
Katherine Waterston
Katherine Waterston
Marguerite Westinghouse
Tom Holland
Tom Holland
Samuel Insull
Matthew Macfadyen
Matthew Macfadyen
J.P. Morgan
Tuppence Middleton
Tuppence Middleton
Mary Edison
Stanley Townsend
Stanley Townsend
Franklin Pope

Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews

S Stephen Campbell Verified TMDB Critic
2019-09-27

_**Well acted and reasonably engaging, although there's a significant disconnect between form and content**_

>_The electric-lighting company with which I am connected purchased some time ago the patents for a complete alternating system, and my protest against this action can be found upon its minute-book. Up to the present time I have succeeded in inducing them not to offer this system to the public, nor will they ever do so with my consent. My personal desire would be to prohibit entirely the use of alternating currents. They are as unnecessary as they are dangerous._

- Thomas Edison; ...

S SWITCH. Verified TMDB Critic
2020-03-14

In another case of “when bad movies happen to great actors“, 'The Current War' has all the elements for a great picture including its exceptional cast, but lacks the base appeal for the people who have to buy a ticket. Sadly, this is a rare and unfortunate case of the sum of the film's parts being greater than the whole.
- Jess Fenton

Read Jess' full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-the-current-war-edison-versus-westinghouse-the-ultimate-grudge-match-with-no-winner...

C CinemaSerf Verified TMDB Critic
2024-05-29

This is a decent, if ponderous, piece of cinema entertainment featuring some A-list talent depicting an almost entirely fictional account of the battle to establish the standard of electrical current we all use today. Tesla is largely ignored (maybe Nicholas Hoult didn't have too many spare filming days in his schedule) and as such the credibility of the whole storyline is undermined. Tom Holland and Matthew Macfadyen deliver well on the supporting front, but Benedict Cumberbatch doesn't quite cut it. History is frequently rewritten for the benefit of Hollywood, but rarely to quite this extent...