Transcendence

Transcendence
PG-13
Running time: 1 hour 59 minutes
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Director: Wally Pfister
Cast: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara.

Synopsis: Dr. Will Caster 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 and best friend Max Waters, 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.

Review: First and foremost, Wally Pfister's maiden directorial effort is clearly a blockbuster that benefits from its solid production credits (executive produced by Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas) and a stellar ensemble of A-list talents. Being a sci-fi thriller, Pfister put his enchanting techniques of cinematography to good use by capturing some of the most beautiful widescreen ala IMAX shots, rendering the whole experience to be rather captivating and reminiscent of Pfister's other works (The Dark Knight, Inception). Such emphasis on the overall aesthetic value has somehow inadvertently decrepit the storytelling mechanism, which in this case the plot plods on a relatively flat and linear-fashioned scale. Narrative flow disruption aside, Depp's role is bland and perfunctory at its best. Stand out performances shall go to Hall and Bettany's. All in all, the film is a beautiful piece of storytelling  that premises itself on a such highly ambitious spectacle, or shall I say such potent concept of marriage between IT and biology, albeit taking account into all the human emotions and its ominous ramifications bound to implode, with perhaps a little too much overemphasis on the latter.

Rating: 4/5 Stars