Movie Review: Transcendence (2014)

Plot Synopsis: A dying scientist's drive for artificial intelligence
takes on dangerous implications when his consciousness is
uploaded into one such program.
_________________________________________________
Alcon Entertainment
Runtime: 1 hour, 59 minutes
Rated: PG-13 (for sci-fi action and violence, some bloody
images, brief strong language and sensuality).
Director: Wally Pfister
Writer: Jack Paglen
Starring: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman
Drama | Mystery | Sci-fi
Wally Pfister’s Transcendence may not be the hit it was intended to be, but the real sci-fi fans out there who can appreciate the heart-touching philosophical questions behind it may well stand in awe of both the creativity and the heart that beats so strongly within it.

Touching sensitively on our understanding of self-worth, the film manages to provide solid entertainment, if with merely adequate performances from its stars. The cast delivers exactly as needed, and with a story that captures our attention the way this one does, very little stands to disappoint.

The execution of the screenplay falls victim to its own cutting of a few too many corners, and some minor pacing issues do it no favors. However, neither of these concerns do much to chip away at the essence of the film or what it represents to its audience.

The work is to be liberally credited for keeping us neck-deep in examining what makes us consider ourselves distinctly human—and with what we ultimately want out of life.

Comments