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FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Dr Will Caster's wife Evelyn transfers his mind to a supercomputer in order to save his life, creating a sentient, omnipresent machine. But as the AI's thirst for knowledge grows, it becomes increasingly clear that it can't be stopped.
I was really looking forward to this one, because it's the directorial debut of cinematographer Wally Pfister, who constantly works with Christopher Nolan. And… I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but Transcendence is a disappointment.
A lot of my initial complaints are actually negated in hindsight, but some character actions still come across as just plain idiotic. For example, the construction of Will's facility is hardly inconspicuous.
But my main issue with the movie is that the neo-Luddites are portrayed as the villains at first, but then readily unite with our heroes with no tension whatsoever. I know they're uniting against a common enemy, but it just seemed to me that something was missing. Speaking of which, I never in a million years thought I'd agree with Luddites, but they were absolutely right: it was plainly obvious that this AI had to be stopped! The moment where he basically possesses someone who's connected to him is frankly horrifying!
Also, what the hell are those particles that float up from the ground? It begs an explanation!
Overall, this is a movie that had great potential to be a smart, compelling sci-fi thriller, but suffers from pretentious philosophy and incomplete ideas.
My rating: 50%
