Transcendence - The IMAX Experience Review

Rated PG-13 (Sci-Fi Action and Violence, Some Bloody Images, Brief Strong Language and Sensuality)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 59 Minutes

Cast-

Johnny Depp-Dr. Will Caster

Rebecca Hall-Dr. Evelyn Caster

Paul Bettany-Dr. Max Waters

Morgan Freeman-Dr. Joseph Tagger

Cillian Murphy-FBI Agent Donald Buchanan

Kate Mara-Bree Evans

Cole Hauser-Colonel Stevens

Clifton Collins Jr.- Martin

Xander Berkeley-Dr. Thomas Casey

Cory Hardrict-Joel Edmund

Lukas Haas-James Thomas

Falk Hentschel-Bob

Josh Stewart-Paul

Luce Rains-Roger

Fernando Chien-Heng

Steven Liu-Chiu

Wallace Langham-Dr. Strauss

Directed by Wally Pfister

Johnny Depp stars in "Transcendence," which marks the directorial debut for Nolan cinematographer Wally Pfister.

Note: Screened on Wednesday, April 16, 2014 AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13.

Eccentric English writer Charles Caleb Colton famously wrote in his 1824 book Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words: Addressed to Those who Think that 'imitation is the sincerest [form] of flattery' but in trying to emulate Christopher Nolan's trademark mix of thematic depth and populist entertainment, first-time director Wally Pfister has robbed his feature debut—titled "Transcendence"—of any sense of identity. One of the best cinematographers working in Hollywood today, Pfister has been a vital part of Nolan's team since 2000's "Memento," with his naturalistic visual style proving to be a perfect fit for the director as he slowly cemented his brand of thinking-person's blockbusters. Following three consecutive nominations, Pfister finally received a much-deserved Academy Award for his work on the 2010 sci-fi heist thriller "Inception." Given his frequent collaborations with the British auteur, it's not surprising to find Pfister making his directorial debut with a big-budget film that feels like it came straight out of Nolan's playbook. At first glance, "Transcendence" has all the right ingredients for critical and commercial success. The cast, which include several Nolan mainstays, is talented and the story mixes an appropriately high-concept premise with an intimate emotional core. Unfortunately, "Transcendence" fails to meet the lofty ambitions of its title as the film is unable to mesh its technological cautionary tale, exploration of love and loss, and action blockbuster sensibilities into a singular, coherent vision.

Leading artificial intelligence researchers Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp), his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall), and their close friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany) are working to transform the world for the better as they envision a future where technology will be able to cure any disease and heal the planet. During his keynote speech at UC Berkeley's 'Evolve The Future' seminar, Will espouses his belief that the fast-approaching technological singularity—an event where artificial intelligence becomes greater than human intelligence—will revolutionize the world and usher in a period of 'transcendence.' A visibly upset audience member asks Will if he's trying to create 'his own god,' to which he replies, 'Isn't that what mankind has always done?' Following the seminar, Will is shot by that same audience member, who turns the gun on himself before the authorities can arrest him. Fortunately, the wound isn't fatal, allowing Will to make a quick recovery. Traveling to a research laboratory, the Casters and Max meet with Dr. Joseph Tagger (Morgan Freeman), a colleague of theirs, along with an FBI agent named Donald Buchanan (Cillian Murphy). He reveals that the attempt on Will's life was part of a series of coordinated terrorist attacks perpetuated by an anti-technology organization called RIFT (Revolutionary Independence From Technology), led by a young woman named Bree Evans (Kate Mara). To ensure that Will's research is safe, the Casters show Tagger and Buchanan P.I.N.N., a massive supercomputer that keeps track of all their data. However, Will starts to feel unwell and it is later revealed that the bullet was laced with polonium, giving him only five weeks to live. As her husband succumbs to radiation poisoning, Evelyn decides to 'upload' Will's brain to P.I.N.N. with the help of a reluctant Max. The transfer proves to be a success but Evelyn's attempt to preserve Will's consciousness may have just doomed the world.

Christopher Nolan is one of my favorite directors and I love the way he challenges his audience while also entertaining them at the same time. He's the kind of rare filmmaker who managed to take his art-house roots and apply them to the modern blockbuster. Of course, making a film is a team effort and I would be remiss if I didn't mention Wally Pfister, Nolan's cinematographer since 2000's "Memento." Given the amazing work he's done with the director over the years, I was excited to see Pfister finally strike out on his own and take on a new challenge. However, he really should've made his feature debut with something smaller. It's clear that with "Transcendence," Pfister wanted to make a thought-provoking picture that would do Nolan proud but the resulting film most likely left the British auteur feeling embarrassed, which is ironic considering Nolan's name is nowhere to be found in the marketing even though he's an executive producer. The biggest problem with "Transcendence" is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. Is this a cautionary tale about the dangers of technology run amok or is it an exploration of a grief-stricken woman in denial? Muddling things further are the film's action beats, which feel out of place and seem to be haphazardly thrown in to make the third act more 'exciting.' The only element that I can praise without any reservations is the evocative cinematography, which isn't a surprise given Pfister's background. However, seeing "Transcendence" on an IMAX screen doesn't wield any tangible benefit besides a more immersive soundscape.

Not helping matters is the script from newcomer Jack Paglen, which feels awfully dated and treads the same ground that many cyber-thrillers from the 1990s have walked before. Hell, it even makes a casual reference to Y2K! Don't get me wrong, the questions the film raises regarding technology and artificial intelligence are all intriguing. After all, we are living in a digital age and the idea of an emotionless supercomputer taking over our lives and deciding what's best for us is a very real fear indeed. Unfortunately, "Transcendence" gets sillier and sillier over the course of its two-hour running time, with a digitized Will eventually infecting the populace of a small New Mexican town with nano-machines, forming a collective consciousness like the Borg from "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Although these people can repeatedly regenerate and survive multiple bullet wounds, they never come across as very menacing, largely due to the fact that they still look like bunch of downtrodden Midwesterners after being infected. Despite its sizable budget, the scope of the film feels rather small and we're never shown just what kind of an effect Will is having on the rest of the world besides deploying silvery clouds of nanobots. The entirety of the government is seemingly represented by one lone FBI agent and the third act culminates in an anticlimactic confrontation between a couple of soldiers and Will's low-rent Borg collective of Midwesterners. Worse, all logic is completely thrown out the window as Max conjures up a magical computer virus that will stop Will but inexplicably cause a worldwide blackout. The consequences of such an action are never discussed and the final twist on whether the scientist is really residing within the supercomputer is poorly conveyed thanks to out-of-nowhere environmentalism theme.

The cast is without a doubt talented but every single one of them is wasted in their roles. Johnny Depp appears disinterested in the material and the supporting players, which include accomplished actors like Morgan Freeman and Cillian Murphy, are given little to work with besides vague and half-formed characters. Kate Mara is particularly miscast as the leader of the anti-technology terrorist group RIFT and comes across like an angry graduate student who failed a class. Only Rebecca Hall and Paul Bettany are able to lend some depth to their respective characters. In spite of the script's wishy-washy state, Hall manages to deliver a grounded performance of a woman unable to let go of her husband, even when there are random explosions going on all around her. Bettany is sadly underutilized but he succeeds in capturing the hard decisions his character has to make in regards to the world's continued survival.

Released on April 18, 2014, "Transcendence" has received overwhelmingly negative reviews with a paltry 20% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that 'ace cinematographer Wally Pfister remains a distinctive visual stylist, but [the film's] thought-provoking themes exceed the movie's narrative grasp.'  Audience reaction was rather muted at the advance screening but at least there was a sizable turnout because judging from the initial numbers, "Transcendence" is on track to become the latest box office bomb for Johnny Depp. This doesn't bode well since 2012's "Dark Shadows" and last year's wildly-expensive "The Lone Ranger" also flopped. Depp needs to pick some better material if he wants to remain in the spotlight. Although the premise is certainly ambitious and offers a lot of story potential, "Transcendence" ultimately fails to come together as a satisfying whole, with Pfister casting too wide a canvass and lacking the directorial experience or skill to pull it all together coherently. A film can't survive on pretty visuals and an intriguing set-up alone; you need a consistent script and more importantly, you need to care about what's happening. Unfortunately, "Transcendence" doesn't succeed at either aspect.

Final Rating: 2 out of 5

"For 130,000 years, our capacity for reason has remained unchanged. The combined intellect of the neuroscientists, engineers, mathematicians pales in comparison to the most basic A.I. The path to building super-intelligence requires us to unlock the most fundamental secrets of the universe. Imagine a machine with a full range of human emotion. Once online, a sentient machine will quickly overcome the limits of biology. In a short time, its analytical power will be greater than the collective intelligence of every person born in the history of the world. Some scientists refer to this as the 'Singularity.' I call it…Transcendence."