Starring: Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman and Rebecca Hall
Directed By: Wally Pfister
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 119 minutes
Warner Bros. Pictures
Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars
“Transcendence” is a clever “What if?” that lacks the necessary ingredients to keep it thoroughly crisp. In our rapidly changing society and even faster technological advances, “Transcendence” presents it’s take on the infinite possibilities that are constantly being worked on. While on the outside, it may simply seem like artificial intelligence gone mad, “Transcendence” has a gooey philosophical core about our culture’s godly acceptance of robotic machinery.
Dr. Will Caster (Depp) is one of the leading minds behind the creation of A.I. Along with his wife, Evelyn (Hall); they are constantly working hard on a sentient program called PINN. The machine requires an entire room filled with processors to operate and has a kind female voice. A terrorist-like organization by the name of RIFT (Revolutionary Independence From Technology) opposes these ideas and executes a singular one-day attack on the A.I. scientist community, which includes Will. Will is pierced with a radioactive bullet that will slowly kill him and Evelyn has a drastic decision to make: Let Will live out the rest of his days at home or transfer his mind into a computer?
So obviously, Evelyn, along with Will’s friend Max (Paul Bettany), begins the process of taking his mind and uploading it onto the PINN endoskeleton. Ironically Max is philosopher of sorts when it comes to society’s willingness to embrace the high-tech Gods, so it’s a bit odd that he would help Evelyn in her quest to turn Will into a digital Frankenstein. To no one’s surprise, the transfer of human thoughts and emotions into a massive data file is a sweeping success. A digitized face of Will appears on screen and in seconds begins to talk and respond. That’s when Will finally realizes, “Maybe we shouldn’t have…”
This is when the movie kicks into the “computer self-awareness” sci-fi cliché. While most take the trope and ride into a more action driven direction, “Transcendence” seems content with letting the plot simmer until the final few moments. During that time you’re only left to wonder if Will actually is inside that machine or if the programming has become a singular entity using thoughts and feelings as a ruse to obtain more power. Sure he finds a way to use nanobots to restore human limbs and repair tissue in split seconds, but once those miniature robots are inside its human, he’s able to remotely control their actions.
The director, Wally Pfister, is a cinematographer by trade and it definitely shows. While Johnny Depp may be the main drive of this movie, Rebecca Hall turns in one of her best performances since “The Prestige”. Morgan Freeman appears to be a miscast as the generic comic relief that feels unnecessary. The film has a lot of ideas, but it never can really settle on one and excel. The notion that Will’s mind has exceeded human intelligence and become a CPU deity is an interesting one, but the script is constantly juggling clichés that distract from this promising concept. Our character’s plight is one that could change the face of the planet, but never feels like it’s on the world stage. In light of my complaints, I had a blast watching the metaphysical material pop up, sometimes blatantly and sometimes lightly. Not a bad first outing for Pfister, but definitely some room for improvement.
