Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Inventor’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(L-R) Stephen Fry and Daisy Ridley as Leonardo da Vinci and Marguerite de Navarre in ‘The Inventor’. (Photo Courtesy of Curiosity Studio.)

This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.
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We search for a great deal in this life. For instance, we search for unconditional love, the kind that is different than the one we grew up with. We want that love that helps us grow as a person, that inspires us and sends us soaring. Not to mention, we also search for fulfillment. The kind that comes via a career that fits the skill set that we were born with. For that gives us a sense of belonging and a unique sense of purpose. But those are of course, easy searches to accomplish, when one opens their heart and follows their calling, and that is why… of the many searches we conduct in this life, there is one that we prize above all, and give great energy to. For in the end… what we are truly searching for in this life… is meaning.

For despite carving out our own little niches and slices of happiness, there’s a lot of chaos that surrounds us, and there is a lot of heartache as well. Wherein we fail at a great many things, and where we see people, we love, fade from our lives either slowly or suddenly, and sometimes… this world just plain terrifies us and forces us to face our fragility and our mortality. Something we all experienced recently. So… to find peace within the chaos and to further cement joy in what else we have searched for, we ponder often upon… the meaning of life. Of why we are here and what the point even is of what we chase and this search… is a difficult one. Because the answer is elusive and difficult to find, and that is why we often turn to fiction to guide us, or people that inspire us… to see if by chance, they can show us the light, and it just so happens that a brand-new film about that search, involving a historical figure no less… has just arrived in theaters, and that makes The Inventor, quite the uplifting motion picture. 

One that transports us back in time, to an age of wonder. Specifically, the era in which Leonardo da Vinci lived, and well… we arrive at a point in his life, where he is at his peak from a curiosity standpoint. Where he simply wants to know everything there is to know about this world, this life, and our purpose and meaning, and that of course… draws the ire of the church but ignites the curiosity of Francis the First. Who invites Leonardo to join his court in France where he can explore the world and life’s curiosities with complete freedom. Provided of course… he makes the king happy at every turn. Which brings forth a powerful journey for Leonardo, one that pushes him to learn balance and prompts him to deeply ponder upon… the meaning of life. So, he no longer feels as though his only purpose in life is to serve churches and kings that care only of their world.

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Which is a plot that at first glance, really doesn’t seem to relate to an examination of the meaning we crave and how perhaps we can best find it. In fact, that plot appears to be biographical in nature, with some philosophy thrown in. But the devil is in the details in this stop-motion animated feature, for everything that Leonardo does in this movie, is to find meaning, to find purpose, to understand why some are curious while others are content to be royal potatoes sitting atop thrones and that leads… to a powerful and inspiring journey. One that does indeed explore… why we are here. Courtesy of a journey that dissects the things we take for granted, that ponders upon the power of a single moment and of course… explores what truly nourishes our soul and what gives us life and meaning, and that leads to some powerful moments and some powerful answers regarding the meaning of life.
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Which is… perhaps a vague way to describe what one discovers in this film, but we don’t want to spoil the journey, or what Leonardo discovers to be the meaning of life. Because it’s more important that you see the journey play out in person and go with the flow of a powerfully written and beautifully animated story. One that is a feast for the eyes and is filled to the brim with toe-tapping music from Composer Alex Mandel and features commanding performances from Stephen Fry (Leonardo da Vinci), Daisy Ridley (Marguerite de Navarre), Marion Cotillard (Louise of Savoy), and even Matt Berry (Pope Leo X). But truly, it is Jim Capobianco’s story that grabs hold of you first, because it truly takes us on a stunning journey of discovery, one that some of us have followed and that some are eager to follow and, in the end, you’re left with a movie that sends your spirits soaring and provides you with amazing perspective.

Something that quite frankly, we all need right now. Since we are coming out of a scary time in our lives, and we are indeed lost and looking for perspective and meaning, and this movie truly does point the viewer in the right direction. In a manner that is never pushy or heavy handed, and that’s important. Because it means that if you’re looking to be entertained by a refreshing and original story that is off the beaten path, you’ll find that here too, and families can absolutely settle in and just enjoy the heartwarming ride that plays out. Since this is a movie that also just encourages us to learn more about the life and times of one of history’s greatest minds. But it certainly doesn’t hurt that when you walk out of the theater, you have a grand appreciation of the moment, and of every breath you take. Courtesy of a magnificent motion picture about the meaning… and the gift… of life.

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