A sc-fi techno-thriller loaded with interesting ideas. It is all about Artifical Intelligence, Mind control and Robotics, this film appears way ahead of its time.
Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp), 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.
Will Caster has a dream to make man as ‘powerful as God’ through this creation of Artificial Intelligence. He is shot at the presentation led by his wife and fellow researcher Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) to attract potential sponsors. Will Caster survives the initial attach, but then the doctors give him a month or so as they find out that the bullet was laced with radioactive material which will eventually shut down Will’s vital organs, resulting in his death.
Evelyn with help of her husband’s co-researcher and best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany) fails in her experiment to give a leash of life to her husband, by connecting Will Caster’s mind with the processers he has created.
In desperation, Evelyn comes up with a plan to upload Will’s consciousness, using the “quantum processors” of the P.I.N.N. project (the advanced artificial intelligence program they were working on). This would allow him to survive in digital form, stay with her, and complete the project.
But Will’s likeness survives his body’s death in the processors and requests to be connected to the Internet so as to grow in capability and power. For Max and the doctor’s wife the question is not if they can, but if they should go ahead.
While Max, who insists that the intelligence is not Will, develops cold feet in Evelyn’s over ambitious endeavour and so she orderes him to leave immediately.
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.
Transcendence marks the feature film directorial debut of Oscar winning cinematographer Wally Pfister. Pfister directed the movie from a screenplay by Jack Paglen.
Directed by cinematographer Wally Pfister in his directorial debut, and written by Jack Paglan, the film stars also stars Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy and Morgan Freeman.
A futuristic thriller, streching man’s imagination, yet the film is short on logic and comes up as a far too streched concept with its complexities.
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Cast:
Johnny Depp as Dr. Will Caster
Rebecca Hall as Evelyn Caster
Morgan Freeman as Joseph Tagger
Paul Bettany as Max Waters (co-researcher)
Kate Mara
Cillian Murphy
Cole Hauser
Clifton Collins
Cory Hardrict
Credits:
Studio Alcon Entertainment, DMG Entertainment, Straight Up Films
Directed by Wally Pfister
Produced by Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosorve, Kate Cohen, Marisa Polvino, Annie Marter, David Valdes and Aaron Ryder
Written by Jack Paglen
Music by Mychael Danna
Cinematography Jess Hall
Editing by David Rosenbloom
