Movies

The Current War: Director’s Cut

Catholic New Service

Benedict Cumberbatch stars in “The Current War: Director’s Cut.” Rated: A-III, PG-13. 101 STUDIOS | CNS

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Intriguing historical drama recounting the bitter contest between inventor Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and industrialist George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) as they raced to spread electricity across the United States in the last decades of the 19th century, with Serbian-American tech whiz Nikola Tesla (Nicholas Hoult) supporting first one then the other. Although director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s film occasionally drags, overall the high stakes, a sophisticated exploration of moral themes, the colorful period settings and impressive performances, especially from Cumberbatch, make this an appealing retrospective. Probably acceptable for mature teens.

Watch out for: Brief gore, a few profanities, several mild oaths, a crass term.

Rated: A-III, adults; MPAA: PG-13

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