Starring: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara, and Morgan Freeman
Directed by: Wally Pfister
Screenplay by: Jack Paglen
Ah, the joys of technology...
Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is on the verge of something huge. He is the leading scientist in the field of artificial intelligence in this not too distant future. His goal; to create a sentient computer whose intelligence and "analytic power [are] greater than the collective intelligence of every person born in the history of the world". He's already created a computer that's part of the way there, called PINN. With the help of his wife, Evelyn (Rebecca Hall), and fellow researcher and friend Max (Paul Bettany), it looks like they could be on the verge of creating this superhuman computer hybrid very shortly.
The problem is that Will is dying. He's been shot by someone in an anti-technology group called RIFT (Revolutionary Independence from Technolgy). The bullet is laced with poison which is slowly killing him. Evelyn decides to upload his conscience, with Max's help, to a computer using the cores from PINN. But should they do it? Perhaps not, but that is what they do anyway. Immediately, Will wants to go online and access education records and Wall Street records. By accessing huge amounts of money, he and Evelyn are able to fund a massive project for Will to expand inside the internet.
Evelyn is able to essentially buy an entire small town in the middle of nowhere called Brightwood. Brightwood is to be used for the new facility to store Will in so that he can still conduct research and make various breakthroughs in the field of nanotechnology. With these new breakthroughs he's making, he is able to save people's lives by reconstructing their bodies using nanotechnology. But by doing this, he's able to control and enhance their abilities as well. Should he be doing this? Evelyn certainly thinks so, but the rest of the world doesn't. RIFT, the FBI, and another researcher in the field, Joseph Tagger (Morgan Freeman) all want to shut him down to stop him from literally changing the world as we know it. Will they be able to stop Will and Evelyn?
This is one of those films that is supposed to activate our moral compasses and make us wonder about the world around us. There is an event that scientists and philosophers have been predicting would come for years, and we are not so far away from seeing it in the real world. It's called the Singularity. It's when machines become more powerful and process things faster than the human brain. Transcendence shows us exactly what happens when the Singularity becomes the reality and the dangers it may bring.
There's one massive plot hole in the film that bothers me. If Will has access to so much money, how did nobody notice that money was disappearing at the same time this data facility was being built? How did Evelyn get away with it for so long? The FBI gets involved to help solve the attack on Will, not because money was disappearing from people. This is a very important question that if the film answered, would have made for a far longer but more interesting film.
Johnny Depp delivers a less than completely satisfactory performance as Will Caster. This is not the over the top role like Jack Sparrow that we are used to seeing him in. He is not at his best in Transcendence and in my opinion, just isn't right for the role. Paul Bettany is an under-appreciated actor in my mind and delivers a pretty solid performance in this film. Morgan Freeman is solid as well, but we don't see a whole lot of his character throughout the film. The best performance of the film is that of Rebecca Hall. She seems to be the most central character of the story and I like that it is told from her perspective. In Transcendence, it is clear she is the star of the show.
You might know Wally Pfister as the cinematographer for Christopher Nolan's films. He is the director of photography for movies like The Dark Knight trilogy, and Inception. Transcendence is Pfister's directorial debut and for the first time around, he's solid on the directing. He is the creator of this world that we clearly would not want to be a part of. His style of directing is similar to that of Christopher Nolan, a huge plus for this film.
Overall, this film is better than I expected it to be. While many critics would disagree with me, I think there is a great deal of value in seeing this film. It's not just a movie to be entertained by, but a movie that will start a conversation about the future of technology.
I give Transcendence a B.
Directed by: Wally Pfister
Screenplay by: Jack Paglen
Ah, the joys of technology...
Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is on the verge of something huge. He is the leading scientist in the field of artificial intelligence in this not too distant future. His goal; to create a sentient computer whose intelligence and "analytic power [are] greater than the collective intelligence of every person born in the history of the world". He's already created a computer that's part of the way there, called PINN. With the help of his wife, Evelyn (Rebecca Hall), and fellow researcher and friend Max (Paul Bettany), it looks like they could be on the verge of creating this superhuman computer hybrid very shortly.
The problem is that Will is dying. He's been shot by someone in an anti-technology group called RIFT (Revolutionary Independence from Technolgy). The bullet is laced with poison which is slowly killing him. Evelyn decides to upload his conscience, with Max's help, to a computer using the cores from PINN. But should they do it? Perhaps not, but that is what they do anyway. Immediately, Will wants to go online and access education records and Wall Street records. By accessing huge amounts of money, he and Evelyn are able to fund a massive project for Will to expand inside the internet.
Evelyn is able to essentially buy an entire small town in the middle of nowhere called Brightwood. Brightwood is to be used for the new facility to store Will in so that he can still conduct research and make various breakthroughs in the field of nanotechnology. With these new breakthroughs he's making, he is able to save people's lives by reconstructing their bodies using nanotechnology. But by doing this, he's able to control and enhance their abilities as well. Should he be doing this? Evelyn certainly thinks so, but the rest of the world doesn't. RIFT, the FBI, and another researcher in the field, Joseph Tagger (Morgan Freeman) all want to shut him down to stop him from literally changing the world as we know it. Will they be able to stop Will and Evelyn?
This is one of those films that is supposed to activate our moral compasses and make us wonder about the world around us. There is an event that scientists and philosophers have been predicting would come for years, and we are not so far away from seeing it in the real world. It's called the Singularity. It's when machines become more powerful and process things faster than the human brain. Transcendence shows us exactly what happens when the Singularity becomes the reality and the dangers it may bring.
There's one massive plot hole in the film that bothers me. If Will has access to so much money, how did nobody notice that money was disappearing at the same time this data facility was being built? How did Evelyn get away with it for so long? The FBI gets involved to help solve the attack on Will, not because money was disappearing from people. This is a very important question that if the film answered, would have made for a far longer but more interesting film.
Johnny Depp delivers a less than completely satisfactory performance as Will Caster. This is not the over the top role like Jack Sparrow that we are used to seeing him in. He is not at his best in Transcendence and in my opinion, just isn't right for the role. Paul Bettany is an under-appreciated actor in my mind and delivers a pretty solid performance in this film. Morgan Freeman is solid as well, but we don't see a whole lot of his character throughout the film. The best performance of the film is that of Rebecca Hall. She seems to be the most central character of the story and I like that it is told from her perspective. In Transcendence, it is clear she is the star of the show.
You might know Wally Pfister as the cinematographer for Christopher Nolan's films. He is the director of photography for movies like The Dark Knight trilogy, and Inception. Transcendence is Pfister's directorial debut and for the first time around, he's solid on the directing. He is the creator of this world that we clearly would not want to be a part of. His style of directing is similar to that of Christopher Nolan, a huge plus for this film.
Overall, this film is better than I expected it to be. While many critics would disagree with me, I think there is a great deal of value in seeing this film. It's not just a movie to be entertained by, but a movie that will start a conversation about the future of technology.
I give Transcendence a B.
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