Transcendence (2014) [Blu-ray]
Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline: Yesterday Dr. Will Caster was only human

A brilliant innovator in the field of Artificial Intelligence becomes the bridge in the gap between man and machine in this sci-fi thriller starring Johnny Depp. His entire career, Dr. Will Caster (Depp) has been working toward one goal -- to create a machine possessing the entire spectrum of human emotions, and the collective intelligence of every person who has ever lived. But while Dr. Caster's unorthodox experiments have made him famous in scientific circles, a radical anti-tech group known as Rift is determined to stop him at all costs. In the midst of an attack on A.I. labs across the United States, one Rift agent manages to shoot Dr. Caster with a radioactive bullet, ensuring his death. Little did Rift realize that their efforts to destroy Dr. Caster would only make him stronger than they ever could have imagined, because before he dies, his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and best friend Max (Paul Bettany) successfully transfer Dr. Caster's consciousness into a computer, where his hunger for knowledge and power transforms him into an unstoppable force of sentient energy inhabiting every computer and electrical system on the planet. Morgan Freeman co-stars.

Storyline: Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him. However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeed-to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can...but if they should. Their worst fears are realized as Will's thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power, to what end is unknown. The only thing that is becoming terrifyingly clear is there may be no way to stop him. Written by Warner Bros.

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown on July 17, 2014 -- Transcendence marks the directorial debut of Wally Pfister, best known for his work as cinematographer to Christopher Nolan. Unfortunately, that may be the only notable thing about Pfister and screenwriter Jack Paglen's uninspired misfire. Dull and dutiful to the point of being tiresome and even mopey, Transcendence is predictable, heavy-handed, infuriatingly mechanical and much too infatuated with itself, promising a great deal but delivering very little. Oh, it's built on a terrific premise, full of grand ideas and thought-provoking commentary. It's been stripped of anything that might allow it to linger in the imagination or satisfy the intellect, though. Even Pfister's cinematography (courtesy of DP Jess Hall) is surprisingly unremarkable, meaning the film isn't much to look at either. What's left? The cast is fantastic... on paper. In practice, the performances fail to impress, whether by way of Paglen's wooden dialogue or, in the case of Depp, what appears to be sheer boredom.

Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they've also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists -- led by cold revolutionary Bree (Kate Mara) -- who will do whatever it takes to stop him. However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeed; to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can transfer Will's consciousness into a machine... but if they should. Soon, though, their worst fears are realized as Will's thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power. To what end is unknown. The only thing that becomes terrifyingly clear is that there may not be a way to stop him.

Lawnmower Man isn't the only film that comes to mind while trudging through Transcendence, or even the best. And television? My brain was spooling up fan-favorite episodes from too many science fiction series to count. Pfister never quite escapes that creeping, crawling sense of genre familiarity, nor will you; that nagging knowledge that you've seen this all a hundred times before, and executed with more style, confidence and originality. Worse, elements that might elevate Transcendence above the genre crowd -- Evelyn's devotion, Max's doubts, A.I. Will's expanding consciousness and eventual expression of force -- are robbed of complexity and reduced to paper-thin plot points stretched to the point of tearing. The central mystery -- is the advancing intelligence really Will or something wholly inhuman? -- isn't even much of a mystery. Pfister and Paglen simply choose an answer near the end of the film. And having positioned Will as an out-of-control demi-god in the making, the answer is as problematic and unfulfilling as the nanobot swarm vs. human resistance action scenes that precede it. (No spoiler alert necessary. Not only do the film's trailers give away the ending, along with just about everything else, Pfister's opening scene involves a horribly misguided and ultimately detrimental flash-forward that reveals way too much way too early.)

As to the cast, Hall holds her own as the movie's emotional core, but her co-stars, each one a talent in his or her own right, are either miscast or wasted on generic bit parts. Depp is flat and colorless, offering a performance as dry as it is pedestrian. Kate Mara frequently bears her teeth but doesn't prove menacing in the least, Cillian Murphy and Morgan Freeman are practically hired hands; special agents of exposition and story advancement, and little more. Bettany's character has a more intriguing past than present, leaving him next to nothing to work with. And Clifton Collins, Jr. and Cole Hauser are squandered on thankless roles that are as stiffly penned as they come. It doesn't help that the actors are forced to "casually" point out key elements crucial to third-act developments, each of which seem to also be paired with extended close-ups that amount to flashing neon signs: This Will Be Important! Pay Attention! (The Faraday cage Will constructs for Evelyn is introduced with such ham-fisted transparency that I spent the next hour waiting for its inevitable reappearance.)

Of course, not every filmfan will experience the pangs of bitter disappointment I felt during Transcendence. Some will shrug it off as decent or passable and stop there; others will differ to the classic defense of the apathetic: oh come on, it's not that bad. (Translation: "it's bad, but not as bad as you suggest.") But with Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas on EP duties, Oscar-winning Inception cinematographer Wally Pfister in the director's chair, and a cast most filmmakers would kill to see walk on set, the unmistakably average, arguably mediocre results are suddenly much more disheartening than they might otherwise be. A rainy Friday night rental at best, Transcendence is a letdown in every way. I'd advise lowering your expectations if you have any hope of enjoying this one.

I was warned Transcendence would disappoint. I refused to believe it... then suffered the consequences. I wasn't warned about Warner's Blu-ray release, though. While the film's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track delivers the goods, its video presentation is plagued by multiple issues (some of which fly in the face of Pfister's intentions) and its supplemental package amounts to twenty minutes of promotional fluff. I was hoping for more, from the film, yes. But the Blu-ray as well. Judge for yourself, just adjust your expectations accordingly.

[CSW] -2.3- The film is so full of holes and leaps in logic that it's hard to take any of it seriously or truly enjoy it. From the beginning of the film we are immediately aware of the ending. The mystery of how it is all going to end is immediately spoiled. So, all that's left is the how. And the how is almost completely preposterous. We're led to believe that the advancement of this super A.I. manages to grow to unbelievable potential (and I do mean unbelievable - Nantes from the ground?) in only a matter of a couple of years. There's very little to suggest how any of it is possible, only simply that it is and that super smart A.I. is capable of it and at the same time that same A.I. is incapable of anticipating how some of mankind will react to it. It also suggests that man's fear of the unknown always feel the need to kill anything it suspects is greater itself. There are far too many holes and leaps in logic to ignore, which makes this a huge disappointment in my eyes.
[V3.0-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box 10/10.


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