Transcendence (2014)

Continuing my plan to watch every Johnny Depp movie in order, I come to Transcendence. This is the movie equivalent to phoning it in. It has an interesting premise, if just don't think too much about the logic. But it's ruined by lame dialogue being spouted by actors phoning it in, and it ends with an all too predictable ending!! I complain when a film develops a semi intriguing story and then dissolves it with a routine and boring action sequence. And this is a prime example of such a thing!! I guess it must be contractual that every director who makes a thriller these days must blow his sets to bits. This movie was better when the story scales down and let's you think about things. How much freedom and security have we already given up to the internet in the last 10 years?? We get Facebook adverts tailored to what we have discussed in messages or searched for on eBay?? And on and on. And we are ok with this?? There is a current investigation about Facebook selling private info. How much more will we sacrifice in the next 10?? The movie worked better, when it was on that level.The acting is really nothing special, Depp (in nothing more than a supporting role) appears bored and seems his mind was elsewhere (maybe counting the $20 million he was paid) possibly spent less than 7 days on set. Morgan Freeman is also in phone it in mode too!! Transcendence grossed $23 million at the domestic box office.

...and nothing more. this is the basic virtue and the fundamental sin of this good intentioned film. something missing, something becomes just an improvisation and the basic idea is sacrifide for good looking images, tricks with technology, mix of science and emotions and Jonny Depp reduced at his presence. and, after its end, the only good thing remains the idea of the first part. so, difficult to say a bad film, less for good intentions, and only a film like many others, ambitious as intentions, not brilliant as result.

Greetings,With so many great production values and the overall "what if" scenario the script is about, I wanted to comment a little. A few of many moments that could have been written better. Lots of ending spoilers if you haven't seen it. Don't read further etc if you happen to come across my post first. Go for it after seeing the movie. You smile maybe.Martin the contractor (Clifton Collins Jr) gets shot in the tunnel after they trapped him behind the metal screen, AKA a Faraday Cage to prevent RF/WIFI communications, thus the naans could not regenerate him. So why not TASER him instead of shooting eventually leading to his death? More dramatic I suppose making the 'good guys' look really bad for fear of the unknown. Maybe that anything at all costs mentality was what they were going for. But that's for a '50s B movie which a lot of the reviewers went for. A TASER then a drug to keep him unconscious would have said, "OK, we've got a big problem but will save humans when we can". That would have added a little more humanity to the good guys making their cause more understandable as well as believable.Bree the terrorist girl (Kate Mera) threatens to kill the virus guy Max (Paul Bettany) unless Will (Johnny Depp) took the virus. Later Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) says to Will, "We can't let him die for what we did". I get it but really detracted from an outstanding ending. The whole point was all the knowledge of an exceptional human combined with the unlimited resources of worldwide computer capabilities could not understand the abstracts of love, emotions and human frailties thus will take over the planet and pretty much make us all Borgs! So shoot first and ask questions later! We're back to a B movie with great state-of-the art visuals. Heck, Data (Brent Spiner) with his emotions chip had to suffer through this with ST:TNG for years! They are doing great in syndication!What made the ending outstanding was the relationship between Will and Evelyn. Why did Will (the computer version) touch the blood of Evelyn thus the virus knowing it would end him? It certainly wasn't about Bree. The writers also went for a later explanation Will wanting to be together forever with Evelyn in a garden. Evelyn felt in her final moments that the live Will she knew and loved was there. Not a bad way to go.Thus it leaves the audience hanging and thinking. Can a computer in our future ever learn to love? Would it know the difference for regenerating the planet for all our human failures and still allow humans find their way? Would humans at our current level take advantage of these new technologies for their own goals? This is great writing and Isaac Asimov, Robert Henlein and a few others would be proud.Someone once said there are only 200 scripts in Hollywood. They just keep doing them over. Too many producers today are more about a political or social point they want to make wanting you to pay big money to see them. Ever seen a great positive movie about a Republican President in Hollywood? Won't happen today. What is a great movie? I think the 1947 movie "Miracle on 34th Street" by 20th Century Fox which won several Academy awards should have won for best picture but didn't. Some trivial a Hollywood company it was their second movie ever filmed in NYC. They did well. Still it is played every Christmas and you'll have to look up the movie that won!I love 'what if' movies. Done right they are entertaining, give us the magic being immersed in the movie for two hours (versus our real lives), touch the emotions of hopefully ALL the audience and gives us something to wonder about leaving the theater. The more movies you see the more you add to this personal list. 'Transencence' while having flaws many have already posted about is one of these...but then that is me. You decide.Hope that I got all the actors right trying my best. One could rob a store I was in and if you weren't my mother I couldn't identify you! :)Regards

OK, this movie has a decent idea, man is dying, uploads his consciousness onto a computer, then to the internet, after a couple of years and a new mega facility built, he is so advanced to the point of curing people and linking them to a collective cyborg consciousness. OK, I believe the idea is decent, but I also believe it's been done before. So, the only thing that could save this would be the acting. We'll the acting sucks. We have Johnny Depp as Will Caster, what the hell is up with that stupid mustache and little goatee? Is this a pirate movie? Beyond that, his acting is boring, his voice sucks, his dialogue is crap. He sucks in this movie. Rebecca Hall as Evelyn Caste as Will's wife is below par mediocre, dialogue sucks, unintelligent, always has a concerned look, that's it. Yeah, she loves Will, but give me a break, this did not come across well. Paul Bettany as Max Waters, best actor here, but overall mediocre, not his fault, the dialogue is trash all the way. Kate Mara as Bree, who the hell thought she was a good, or even a competent actress? That stupid blond wig – WTF! Those stupid facial expressions. Morgan Freeman as Joseph Tagger, wasted in another crappy mediocre supporting role. He should retire or only take a leading role. Enough with this nonsense. Everybody else in this film is just there to fill in the holes. So, the acting is garbage, the dialogue is boring, the story is mediocre. No suspense. No chemistry between the actors. Cliché final battle – crap. And what really got me is the zombie collective. Music is filler. Cinematography was competent. At least we didn't get quick edits – thank god. Again, idea is fine, even though it was stolen from other films. Crap no chemistry acting. Cliché battles and zombies. Are we supposed to feel for the Will and his wife because he sacrificed himself and his wife for his friend Max? Then Max finds them both dead, Will's eyes closing. Where's the drama here? This movie sucks.Please read the critic - 1,2,3 WTF!? (Watch the Film)- They give a timeline, breakdown of WTF is going on in this "film". It takes time to do this. I applaud their effort.