Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Tesla Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 29, 2021

In 2019, “The Current War” finally made its way into theaters after a lengthy release delay. It explored the story of Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla and their battle to control the future of electricity. It was a flashy feature that didn’t generate much interest from the public, but now there’s “Tesla,” which also details power plays between two men devoted to the energy cause, but for entirely different reasons. While “The Current War” tried to get up and running with broad screen style, “Tesla” is more of a filmed play, with director Michael Almereyda inspecting the inner life of the titular character, using a theatrical presentation and anachronistic touches to provide creative fingerprints on a story that largely exists in legend. Almereyda remains true to his vision with the endeavor, which has its imaginative moments, but largely broods itself to a full stop on a few occasions.

In 1884, young immigrant Nikola Tesla (Ethan Hawke) works for Thomas Edison (Kyle MacLachlan), but challenges his interests in the creation of a Direct Current system to build his electricity empire. Tesla invests his time in the formation of Alternating Current, believing it to be the way of the future, but his efforts to make his mark in the company fail. Striking out on his own, Tesla is joined by friend Szigeti (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), laboring to find someone willing to take a chance on his idea. He finds hope in George Westinghouse (Jim Gaffigan), a connected American entrepreneur, and he has a fan in Anne Morgan (Eve Hewson), the philanthropist daughter of wealthy banker J.P. Morgan (Donnie Keshawarz). Tesla faces roadblocks to his dream, but he remains focused on the concept, suffering through bad business deals, Edison-led disruptions, and the arrival of actress Sarah Bernhardt (Rebecca Dayan), who captures his thoughts in a way no other woman can.

“Tesla” deals with history, but it isn’t a historical feature. Almereyda’s screenplay isn’t creating a tradition bio-pic with the picture, he’s playing with the working parts of the subject’s life. The film is “hosted” by Anne, who, in the first of many timeline curveballs in the effort, boots up a laptop and takes to Google to help viewers understand who Tesla and the other players in this game really were. The idea here is to reinforce the reality that little factual evidence is out there concerning the war between Edison and Tesla, giving the helmer license to do whatever he wants with the story, and if that includes an ice cream fight between the electrical titans, so be it. Actual whimsy is in short supply, but Almereyda’s uncharacteristic playfulness pops out for a few scenes, underlining the pliability of Tesla’s journey as a haunted immigrant to possible competition for one of the most powerful men in America.

The filmmaker has a history of toying with material, once setting part of his version of “Hamlet” inside a Blockbuster store. He’s a curious artist and not always successful with his execution, but he loves to work with Ethan Hawke, who makes some interesting choices of his own as Tesla. The whole cast comes with stuff to do (MacLachlan makes for an interesting Edison), but Hawke goes inward, playing Tesla like a vampire, stalking around the feature, observing the world around him and the individuals who try to understand him. Almereyda amplifies the unnaturalness of it all with projected backgrounds, having Tesla interact with screens to lean on the style of the picture. It’s showy and not always inspired, but it does give “Tesla” a certain look as the tale covers the man’s evolution as an inventor, including dealings with Westinghouse and his relocation to Colorado around 1899 to work on what would become the Tesla coil.

Tesla Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation protects the particulars of the moody viewing experience, which balances a darker period look with moments of bright electric experimentation and rural illumination. Delineation remains intact, dealing with deep blacks on costuming and shadowy encounters. Colors are balanced, cutting through limited lighting with bright electrical experiments. Clear whites are appealing, identifying lighting sources. Skintones are natural. Detail is clear, identifying bushy facial hair and weathered skin, and woolen clothing is fibrous. Banding is periodically detected, along with some mild, brief blockiness.

Tesla Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix secures crisp dialogue exchanges, which often deal with thick accents and mutterings from Tesla. Scoring cues are distinct, with sharp instrumentation, and electropop additions provide some heavier beats. Surrounds are active with room tone and musical selections, which offer a full, circular sound. Community bustle and naturalistic movement is present, as the production uses such sonic activity to sell the artificiality it employs.

Tesla Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "The Making of 'Tesla'" (18:50, HD) is a promotional piece for the picture, gathering interviews (conducted on-set) from cast and crew, with the noticeable exception of writer/director Michael Almereyda. The mood is celebratory, praising creative and dramatic efforts, also highlighting characterization. No post-mortem analysis is included, and BTS footage is brief.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:15, HD) is included.

Tesla Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Flashes of behavior remain in "Tesla," including the subject's OCD and his fixation on Bernahrdt, despite Anne's clear interest in him. However, Almereyda elects to remain in a dreamlike state, making the feature ideal for those who don't want a sense of development in their tales of real-world achievements. "Tesla" would rather remain elusive, leading to a closing offering of musical impishness some viewers will respond positively to, but mostly plays like the worst idea of the film year. There's a real Rorschach test viewing experience here, but, more often than not, the most electric ideas of the picture are smothered by a misguided plan of mischief and moodiness. The helmer doesn't have enough fun with the movie, and when it does crank up the silliness, it feels totally wrong.