Transcendence

                Films based on artificial intelligence have always sparked interest and thought on whether or not we a progressing in the way of life, or if the advancements in technology is corrupting our society, potentially leading to our downfall. Films like “The Matrix,” “Total Recall,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and “The Terminator” films are examples that brought this into speculation. The advantages that we have today are seen both as a blessing and burden, each way we turn. The internet is a prime example of that, stating that while it does showcase things worldwide, it’s only a matter of time before it could lead to our biggest downfall.

                Today, we have a new film to also focus on this topic, “Transcendence.” The film is about Will Caster, a scientist who is trying to construct a way for life of any kind to be reborn, no matter what the damages. However, after being shot, Will starts to die slowly and his brain is transferred into his computer, thanks to his wife and friend. However, once Will is inside, his progress starts to exceed at a tremendous rate, soon becoming more advanced than anything in the world, even able to manipulate the minds of the ones he’s healed. Is this a blessing or is it a possible disaster?

                One of the problems with this film was that the entire description I gave you is the whole movie. I’m not kidding; every key point in the trailer is what happens in the movie. Now, there are films that have done this, but still managed to be very interesting nonetheless…this is not one of them, sadly. The film has a really interesting premise going for itself, and it really does make the view think about their output on technology. The film does go into detail on that, but the execution of how it was done really falls flat, and at times it gave me a headache throughout the whole movie.

                The acting in the film, while had some big name talent, was pretty flat as well. Rebecca Hall as Will’s wife was dull and didn’t keep my attention, despite being the main star of the film the whole way through. She wasn’t investing, and even when she almost was, it didn’t last that long. Morgan Freeman also appears in the film as Will’s co-worker, and I can tell he’s trying his best to make this work. As much as I appreciate this man and his work, I can’t say the same for this film. Cillian Murphy is also in the film, playing an FBI agent, but he is so forgettable in this film, I didn’t even bother paying attention to him.

However, in terms of who gave the weakest performance, Johnny Depp as Will was absolutely BORING. Throughout the whole movie, whether he was alive or within the computers with just a voice over, always kept that monotone voice the whole way through. I mean, sure he’s done that in more movies before hand, but he at least looked like he was interested in his performance, even in bad films like “Dark Shadows” and “The Tourist.” Here, it always feels like he’s sleepwalking throughout the whole film.

Surprisingly, Paul Bettany, playing the best friend character, was the one giving out the best performance. He was the one who actually felt like he was invested in his work, trying to do what seems like the most logical thing to do. I wish the film was more about him trying to cope with the fact he was losing his friend, and just on his beliefs in science are questioned in his decision.

The film was directed by Wally Pfister, better known for being Christopher Nolan’s Oscar winning cinematographer, and it shows. The film is gorgeously shot, and the visuals are actually stunningly to look at. I can understand the difficulties one can have, when it comes to transitioning from a cameraman to an actual director, as very few have done that successfully, especially when you’ve been under the wing of someone like Nolan.

Overall, “Transcendence” was…disappointing. I really wanted to like this film, and I was hoping this would be one of those timeless gems of science fiction. However, that isn’t the case, as it features stunning visuals and graceful cinematography, as the icing over a cake that’s made from dull acting, boring direction, and straight up disappointment.

Rating: 3/10