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Connor Macgregor Reviews...Transcendence
Wally Pfister is known for being the cinematographer to Christopher Nolan's filmography. A talented individual, who is responsible for creating the right type of atmosphere needed for Nolan's storytelling. But after The Dark Knight Rises, Pfister decided to go on his own an direct his first film. With Johnny Depp in the lead, and a strong supporting cast in addition, Transcendence seems to be the type of film that could really find a crowd.
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.
The film itself has a very interesting premise. The idea of Artificial Intelligence is presented very differently in this film, playing it in a realistic story environment. While AI has been tackled before, its here where we really get to the roots of the concept and see this creation evolve in a fascinating way. Johnny Depp does well in the lead, but isn't a performance worth remembering. It was interesting to see him become a villain in this story, a very subtle one I might add, and the way he slowly begins to control the environment around him, from within the cyber space. Supporting performances are strong too. Rebecca Hall does a good job as Will's wife Evelyn and the struggles she goes through, as well as the disbelief and confusion of what is happening around her and what her husband has become. She delivers at really good points in the film. Paul Bettany is also good, but disappoints as the film goes on. His role in the film is quite limited and only to serve story threads. Other good performances include Cillian Murphy, Kate Hara, and Morgan Freeman.
I quite enjoyed some of the sequences in this film, namely the end battle. It was interesting to see just how almost impossible it was to fight what was going on, and how it required a huge sacrifice to assure its defeat. The Special effects were well done, as was the overall direction of the film. It feels like a 70s movie with a very gritty feeling to it. Like a sense of hopelessness attached to the world and its story, and your not really expecting much to come out of it.
Overall, Transcendence is a good film with some intriguing ideas, solid direction, and it leaves you thinking as you walk out the theatre.
Rating - 71% - B+
Connor Macgregor Reviews...Transcendence
Wally Pfister is known for being the cinematographer to Christopher Nolan's filmography. A talented individual, who is responsible for creating the right type of atmosphere needed for Nolan's storytelling. But after The Dark Knight Rises, Pfister decided to go on his own an direct his first film. With Johnny Depp in the lead, and a strong supporting cast in addition, Transcendence seems to be the type of film that could really find a crowd.
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.
The film itself has a very interesting premise. The idea of Artificial Intelligence is presented very differently in this film, playing it in a realistic story environment. While AI has been tackled before, its here where we really get to the roots of the concept and see this creation evolve in a fascinating way. Johnny Depp does well in the lead, but isn't a performance worth remembering. It was interesting to see him become a villain in this story, a very subtle one I might add, and the way he slowly begins to control the environment around him, from within the cyber space. Supporting performances are strong too. Rebecca Hall does a good job as Will's wife Evelyn and the struggles she goes through, as well as the disbelief and confusion of what is happening around her and what her husband has become. She delivers at really good points in the film. Paul Bettany is also good, but disappoints as the film goes on. His role in the film is quite limited and only to serve story threads. Other good performances include Cillian Murphy, Kate Hara, and Morgan Freeman.
I quite enjoyed some of the sequences in this film, namely the end battle. It was interesting to see just how almost impossible it was to fight what was going on, and how it required a huge sacrifice to assure its defeat. The Special effects were well done, as was the overall direction of the film. It feels like a 70s movie with a very gritty feeling to it. Like a sense of hopelessness attached to the world and its story, and your not really expecting much to come out of it.
Overall, Transcendence is a good film with some intriguing ideas, solid direction, and it leaves you thinking as you walk out the theatre.
Rating - 71% - B+