In recent decades, as audiences have shown growing interest in character-driven storytelling and real-life drama, one film format has endured: the biographical picture, commonly known as the biopic, which reimagines the lives of specific people. We reviewed four biopics that each take a different approach to telling a real person’s story:
‘Lawrence of Arabia’ (1962)
“Lawrence of Arabia” depicts the life of Thomas Edward Lawrence, the English officer who worked with several Arab tribes to fight against the Ottoman Empire in the 20th century. One of the first biopics in modern cinema, “Lawrence of Arabia” explores themes of leadership, corruption and internal conflict as Lawrence grapples with his loyalties and personal ambitions for wealth and power.
While Peter O’Toole’s critically-acclaimed performance as Lawrence drove the film in depicting the character’s complexity, the performance that stood out the most to us was that of Alec Guinness as Prince Feisal, the esteemed Iraqi king who assists Lawrence in the revolt against the Ottoman Empire. Despite lacking much screen time, Guinness makes the most of his character’s appearances, quickly making Feisal a noble, witty and funny leader that viewers can relate to.
“Lawrence of Arabia” also places heavy focus on Lawrence’s morality as he plunges deeper into the revolution — something Lawrence reflected upon in his own memoir. While some interpretations portray him as a hero who saved an entire country from tyranny, the film strays away from this all-positive trope and focuses on the reality of Lawrence’s life. As the international conflict worsens, we can see him descend into dehumanization: he sought pride and fame rather than protect the people he vowed freedom to. The film ends with Lawrence returning to England with an unfulfilled promise of liberty and minimal fame for his deeds, painting him as a geopolitical has-been instead of a hero.
Rating: 5 Viking helmets out of 5
‘A Beautiful Mind’ (2001)
“A Beautiful Mind” takes the story of American mathematician John Nash and turns it into something more than a traditional biopic. The film follows Nash, played by Russell Crowe, from his early days at Princeton University through his groundbreaking work in game theory and his battle with paranoid schizophrenia. What makes the movie stand out is its depiction of not just academic brilliance, but also the tragic unraveling of a mind at odds with itself.
Crowe delivers a performance that is subtle yet deeply emotional. Instead of dramatic breakdowns, he shows Nash’s struggle through smaller moments, like when he nervously scans a room for patterns on the walls. His discomfort in social situations, paired with his distracted gaze and frequent pauses, builds a clear image of someone fighting internal chaos.
Crowe’s scenes with Jennifer Connelly, who plays Nash’s wife Alicia, add a layer of stability to the story. Their relationship, though idealized at times, serves as the film’s emotional anchor. In the movie, she stands by him through his diagnosis and recovery, offering steady encouragement and helping him distinguish reality from delusion. In real life, however, Alicia and Nash divorced in 1963 and later remarried in 2001, suggesting a more complicated dynamic than what is shown onscreen.
The most memorable part of “A Beautiful Mind” is how it visually places the audience inside Nash’s delusions. Characters that we, as viewers, believe to be real are later revealed as figments of his imagination, forcing us to question what we have seen just as Nash did and adding depth to the film’s portrayal of mental illness. However, the film does leave out certain parts of Nash’s life — including his past relationships with men and the child he fathered out of wedlock before marrying Alicia — likely to streamline the story and maintain a more sympathetic portrayal. While this doesn’t take away from the emotional core of the film, it does present a more palatable version of Nash’s life.
Still, “A Beautiful Mind” succeeds in showing the resilience of a man who lived with a mind that often worked against him. It offers a moving look at perseverance, love and what it means to come to terms with one’s own reality. By the time Nash accepts the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, it feels like a quiet triumph of endurance.
Rating: 4 Viking helmets out of 5
‘Priscilla’ (2023)
“Priscilla” offers an emotionally charged retelling of Priscilla Presley’s early relationship with Elvis, shifting the spotlight away from the King of Rock and Roll and onto the woman who lived in his shadow. Based on Priscilla’s own memoir, Elvis and Me, the film traces her journey from a 14-year-old girl stationed in Germany to the isolated young wife inside Graceland, grappling with identity, power and self-worth.
Unlike other flashy music biopics, “Priscilla” opts for subtlety and stillness. Coppola’s signature pastel-toned aesthetic fills the screen, creating a dreamlike, haunting atmosphere that mirrors Priscilla’s emotional detachment from the world around her. Cailee Spaeny delivers a restrained but powerful performance as Priscilla that captures both the awe of falling in love with a global superstar and the slow loss of agency that follows.
The film stays close to Priscilla’s point of view, rarely veering into Elvis’ world or career. This choice makes the film feel deeply personal, though it also leaves out major events in his life that audiences may expect. Still, the movie’s goal is not to retell his legacy but to highlight Priscilla’s emotional toll of being part of someone else’s spotlight.
As for historical accuracy, “Priscilla” closely follows her memoir and doesn’t hold back in portraying the uncomfortable dynamics of her relationship with Elvis. Unlike other recent depictions that celebrate his legacy, this film leans into the emotional isolation, control, and manipulation that Priscilla says she experienced behind closed doors. From strict house rules to long periods of absence, Elvis is shown as a deeply flawed figure — emotionally distant, possessive and often dismissive of her.
The film’s critical lens has drawn some controversy, especially from Priscilla’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley, but it ultimately offers a raw and honest retelling of a story long overshadowed by celebrity. In the end, Priscilla’s decision to leave Graceland becomes a powerful act of reclaiming her voice and her future.
Rating: 5 Viking helmets out of 5
‘Marty Supreme’ (2025)
A Christmas (release) Day miracle, “Marty Supreme” loosely retells the story of table tennis icon Marty Reisman. The film highlights Reisman’s journey to success in the 1950s, turning from a lowly shoe salesman into one of the biggest names in table tennis to this day.
The film boasts an engaging soundtrack — Daniel Lopatin’s score evokes feelings of hope and intensity — and powerful themes of ambition. However, the element that stood out the most was Timothée Chalamet’s Oscar-worthy performance as Marty Mauser, the character inspired by Reisman. Chalamet’s diverse portrayal of Mauser’s emotions through times of hardship, like when he is forced to lose an international match as a publicity stunt, or through moments of resilience, like when he takes a risk by leaving his job to pursue table tennis, makes the legend come to life again. Chalamet portrays the character as a narcissistic yet ambitious man whose primary objective is to dream big — a key idea that repeats throughout the film.
Whether he wins a big tournament or scams every wealthy person in his way out of their riches, Mauser is both hated and admired by the other characters. The film does not sugarcoat anything when it comes to the real Reisman’s personality and upbringing: Reisman and his film counterpart both started as shoe salesmen who hustled people out of their money, with the New York Daily News even labeling him as the “world’s greatest ping-pong hustler.” The biggest accuracy of the movie is Reisman’s rivalry with Japanese player Hiroji Satoh, whose film counterpart is Koto Endo, played by Japanese table tennis player Koto Kawaguchi. Throughout the film, Mauser struggles with accepting true defeat to Endo, as did Reisman when he lost to Satoh in the 1952 World Table Tennis Championship.
Rating: 4 Viking helmets out of 5
