'Transcendence' could have been a great film. It has great ideas and as a film about philosophical questions it is fascinating. The problem with 'Transcendence' is that unfortunately it lacks a coherence between an actual plot and these great sci-fi concepts and the conundrums it proposes.
'Transcendence' is very much in the shadow of Christopher Nolan. Wally Pfister, Nolan's brilliant cinematographer, is making his directorial debut here and there are no complaints on what he does here from me. 'Transcendence' looks beautiful and has moments of great epic scope. Pfister does a great job in staging thematic progression in his film. The movie becomes much larger as our main character Dr.Will Caster loses his humanity. The finale in the lab is incredible to look at and compare with the smaller more intimate scenes when Caster is suffering from his fatal illness.
The acting is top notch too and that was my worry going into the film. Depp is particularly good. He does a very good job in engaging the audience. Of course the major question the audience has is "Is this being Will Caster? Or just a program?" Depp never lets you know and plays it very close to the chest. He can be extremely artificial and frightening but his initial warmness in the beginning of the film makes us want to believe that his character is still alive in there. Rebecca Hall is very good too. Her character is integral to the film and makes up for some of the shortcomings. Evelyn Caster's love for her husband is what makes the film a human story instead of just a philosophical allegory. Hall has a sincerity and warmth that a movie like this needs. These qualities in her performance make the tragedy of losing humanity all the more poignant
While Pfister's direction is brilliant even as I feel as though the script is pretty lackluster in actually creating a plot. Here is another Nolan comparison I feel is inevitable. I thought a lot about 'Inception' as I watched 'Transcendence'. Both are films about the human consciousness and both relay their ideas through the trappings of an action film. 'Inception' has momentum and the action comes from character and driving the plot forward. 'Transcendence' doesn't have that. The action sequences and thrills feel completely out of place. The grand finale consists of a battle between Caster's sentient being and anti-technology terrorists and I feel as though the film doesn't quite earn this. The movie could have done a great deal more in developing these antagonists. Their motivations are strong and certainly understandable but these terrorists aren't characters. They merely serve as a living breathing antagonistic idea serving as a character. One character I felt was particularly weak was Paul Bettany's Max Waters who sort of serves as the middle piece between Caster and the anti-technology line. He initially helps Caster plug himself into the computer but immediately regrets his actions. This character and his convictions could have been a catalyst in creating a meaningful final conflict. He's just too underdeveloped as a human being. Ideas aren't characters. 'Transcendence' has some very interesting ideas but the script doesn't quite create human beings who deliver them.
'Transcendence' is a very good movie. It could have been a great one. The characters and plot suffer from the same artificiality the characters in the film fear. The ideas though are interesting enough to sustain and make the film a worth while experience. Don't believe all the bad reviews.
'Transcendence' is very much in the shadow of Christopher Nolan. Wally Pfister, Nolan's brilliant cinematographer, is making his directorial debut here and there are no complaints on what he does here from me. 'Transcendence' looks beautiful and has moments of great epic scope. Pfister does a great job in staging thematic progression in his film. The movie becomes much larger as our main character Dr.Will Caster loses his humanity. The finale in the lab is incredible to look at and compare with the smaller more intimate scenes when Caster is suffering from his fatal illness.
The acting is top notch too and that was my worry going into the film. Depp is particularly good. He does a very good job in engaging the audience. Of course the major question the audience has is "Is this being Will Caster? Or just a program?" Depp never lets you know and plays it very close to the chest. He can be extremely artificial and frightening but his initial warmness in the beginning of the film makes us want to believe that his character is still alive in there. Rebecca Hall is very good too. Her character is integral to the film and makes up for some of the shortcomings. Evelyn Caster's love for her husband is what makes the film a human story instead of just a philosophical allegory. Hall has a sincerity and warmth that a movie like this needs. These qualities in her performance make the tragedy of losing humanity all the more poignant
While Pfister's direction is brilliant even as I feel as though the script is pretty lackluster in actually creating a plot. Here is another Nolan comparison I feel is inevitable. I thought a lot about 'Inception' as I watched 'Transcendence'. Both are films about the human consciousness and both relay their ideas through the trappings of an action film. 'Inception' has momentum and the action comes from character and driving the plot forward. 'Transcendence' doesn't have that. The action sequences and thrills feel completely out of place. The grand finale consists of a battle between Caster's sentient being and anti-technology terrorists and I feel as though the film doesn't quite earn this. The movie could have done a great deal more in developing these antagonists. Their motivations are strong and certainly understandable but these terrorists aren't characters. They merely serve as a living breathing antagonistic idea serving as a character. One character I felt was particularly weak was Paul Bettany's Max Waters who sort of serves as the middle piece between Caster and the anti-technology line. He initially helps Caster plug himself into the computer but immediately regrets his actions. This character and his convictions could have been a catalyst in creating a meaningful final conflict. He's just too underdeveloped as a human being. Ideas aren't characters. 'Transcendence' has some very interesting ideas but the script doesn't quite create human beings who deliver them.
'Transcendence' is a very good movie. It could have been a great one. The characters and plot suffer from the same artificiality the characters in the film fear. The ideas though are interesting enough to sustain and make the film a worth while experience. Don't believe all the bad reviews.